Premier League clubs must put their manager in front of broadcasters at a media conference in the days before a match, then make a starting player available between 45 and 120 minutes before kick-off and the manager available after team sheets are published, with players also open to immediate interviews at full-time.
When the pre-match media conference is held
Here is the timing for the pre-match media conference.
| Day of the match | Day of the media conference |
|---|---|
| Saturday, Sunday or Monday | Thursday or Friday, starting no later than 13:30 |
| Tuesday | Monday, starting no later than 13:30 |
| Wednesday | Monday or Tuesday, starting no later than 13:30 |
| Thursday | Tuesday or Wednesday, starting no later than 13:30 |
| Friday | Wednesday or Thursday, starting no later than 13:30 |
The club is responsible for making sure the manager attends. The conference is for broadcasters and sits in the build-up period rather than on matchday itself.
The interview window before kick-off
A club must make one starting player available to one television broadcaster between 45 and 120 minutes before kick-off. That player can be asked no more than three questions, and every question has to be about that match.
The club must tell the match manager and the host broadcaster who the player is at least 15 minutes before the interview. It also cannot be the same player who handled that duty before the previous match.
The manager is interviewed in the same pre-kick-off window, but only after the team sheets have been made public. Team sheets are announced 75 minutes before kick-off, so the manager interview sits after that point.
Extra access during a match
The three forms of extra access are dressing room access, a half-time interview and an in-match interview, and the club must confirm which one it will deliver at least 72 hours before the match.
Dressing room access means filming for an uninterrupted period of at least 90 seconds, in one of four windows: around the warm-up, the walk-out, half-time or the end of the match. A half-time interview is given by either a player or the manager, in the tunnel, the interview area or the technical area.
When extra access has been requested, the club chooses one of those three options. It does not have to provide the chosen access if it is losing when that access is due, and the match then does not count towards the access obligation.
The club and broadcaster work together so the material captured in this way is positive and non-controversial.
How the half-time interview is decided
For a half-time interview, the club and broadcaster agree at least 24 hours beforehand whether the interview will be done by a player or the manager, and whether it will happen in the tunnel, the interview area or the technical area.
If the interview is with a player, he is chosen from a shortlist of at least five players given to the club by the 40th minute of the first half. The club then confirms the choice by the 45th minute.
The interview immediately after the final whistle
Before the end of the match, the host broadcaster may name a shortlist of three players it wants to interview as soon as the final whistle goes, before they return to the dressing room. If both sides agree, that interview can take place on the pitch.
If the club is not losing at the final whistle, its post-match interviews are done at the pitchside presentation position rather than the tunnel positions. The timing is immediate: the interview comes before the player heads back inside.
FAQ
How long before kick-off do Premier League players give interviews?
The required player interview sits in a window from 45 to 120 minutes before kick-off. The player must be in the starting line-up and is made available to one television broadcaster.
The format is tightly limited, with no more than three questions and all of them tied to that match.
Do Premier League clubs have to let cameras into the dressing room?
Not in every match. Dressing room access is only one of the three extra-access choices available when extra access has been requested.
If the club is losing when that access is due, it does not have to provide it, and the match does not count towards what it owes.
Why do Premier League managers give half-time interviews?
A half-time interview is one of the extra-access options a club can select. It is only used when the club chooses that route for the match.
The interview may be done by the manager or by a player, and the location is agreed in advance between the club and broadcaster.
Are Premier League managers doing half-time interviews now?
They can, but only in matches where the club has chosen a half-time interview as its extra-access option. If the club selects dressing room access or an in-match interview instead, there is no half-time manager interview.
Even after the choice has been made, the club does not have to provide the access if it is losing when the access falls due.