Sunderland v Sheffield United play-off final change confirmed - It's never been done before | OneFootball

Saturday's Championship play-off final between Sunderland and Sheffield United will kick-off at 3.01pm

Sunderland and Sheffield United will be competing for the final place in the Premier League for next season this weekend.

The Blades are seeking an immediate return to the top flight after suffering relegation in 2024, while the Wearside outfit are hoping to end their eight-year stint outside of the division.

Chris Wilder’s side have the edge on paper having come through their semi-final at a canter, winning 6-0 on aggregate over Bristol City, and having come third in the regular season table.

Meanwhile, Sunderland finished fourth and required a 123rd minute winner from Dan Ballard to seal semi-final victory over Coventry City.

But form may go out the window when things get underway at 3.01pm on Saturday at Wembley Stadium.

Here we look at why this particular play-off final has a unique and unusual start time…

Championship play-off final kick-off time

Sheffield United and Sunderland will travel to London on Saturday for a place in the Premier League.

And, the game will kick-off at one minute past 3pm because of an initiative led by Sky Bet and the EFL to get people to learn CPR.

It is part of the Every Minute Matters campaign, where the goal is to encourage supporters to learn CPR in a bid to save lives.

There have been numerous instances of games being stopped across English football in recent years due to an issue with a fan in the crowd where CPR was able to help the situation.

As a result of this initiative, the EFL have opted to delay the standard kick-off time by one minute.

It has been claimed by the EFL that last season’s Every Minute Matters led to 270,000 supporters learn the life-saving skills, with it being hoped another 360,000 can do the same this year.

Supporters can learn CPR online with the British Heart Foundations tool, RevivR.

Tom Lockyer’s role in the Every Minute Matters’ campaign

Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer is an ambassador for the programme, and he has opened up on the realities of cardiac arrest having suffered from it while playing for the Hatters last season.

The 30-year-old revealed that over 30,000 people suffer from cardiac arrest in the UK each year, highlighting how important it is for the average person to learn CPR, as it can save lives.

“I was just one of the more than 30,000 people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year in the UK,” said Lockyer, via The Standard.

“I am lucky to be alive today, but the reality is that less than 1 in 10 people usually survive, which is why it’s vital that we continue to raise awareness.

“The symbolic kick-off times are the perfect way to make our lifesaving message impossible to ignore.”

While the one minute delay to kick-off won’t make a material difference to the game, the scale of the game and the audience it is likely to attract may encourage more people to learn CPR.

The League One and League Two play-off finals will also kick-off one minute past the hour as well, in keeping with the EFL’s role in the Every Minute Matters campaign.