EFL confirm all Portsmouth games to be streamed live on iFollow

That’s after the EFL confirmed all league matches will be available for streaming on iFollow while restrictions on supporters’ entry into grounds remain in place.

Carabao Cup games – including the Blues’ trip to Stevenage in the first round of the competition on Saturday – will also be available for stay-at-home fans (£10 per game), if the match is not being broadcast live by Sky Sports.

Sky, meanwhile, will broadcast 130 EFL games over the course of the 2020-21 season, with Wigan’s trip to Ipswich on Sunday, September 13, their first live League One fixture of the new campaign.

However, any league fixture provided by the channel will not be available to stream via iFollow.

The arrangements, which form the basis of the EFL and Sky’s ‘flexible framework’ model, remain temporary while clubs operate at a zero or reduced capacity as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

It will be subject to regular review, with the first set for early October.

At present, no fans are permitted into elite level stadiums, despite some clubs kicking off the new season on Saturday.

Some Blues fans were allowed to watch on as a young Pompey side drew 2-2 at non-league AFC Totton on Tuesday night, following the recent easing of restrictions at tiers seven and below.

However, the government is due to issue its full proposals for spectators returning to grounds at all levels in the coming days.

In the meantime, EFL chief executive David Baldwin, welcomed the ‘flexible framework’ devised that will ensure league matches are either available for broadcast or streaming while access to matches is restricted.

He said in a statement: ‘There is no argument that attending live matches is what the League, its clubs and fans want to see and, clearly, the overriding objective is to get supporters back into stadiums as soon as it is safe to do so.

‘In the meantime, this framework allows our clubs, if they so wish, to reward their most loyal supporters by providing what we hope is only short-term access to watch their matches.‘It’s important that while the doors remain fully, or part shut, we ensure there is the ability for fans of all EFL clubs to be able to gain access and watch their team and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sky Sports for their support in this matter.‘Collectively, it’s not our preferred situation, but given the circumstances Covid has presented us, it gives us a temporary option while we finalise our plans for fans returning.’

As club’s plan for an eventual return of fans to stadium, restricted or unrestricted, Pompey introduced a ‘flexi-season ticket’ to allocate seating for Fratton Park matches in 2020-21.

This was introduced at the start of the month and already almost 10,000 fans have signed up for the scheme.