Rob Burrow Marathon: Sky urged not to move Leeds United game against Newcastle to avoid marathon clash

The marathon will take place on Sunday, May 14, a day after the Whites are scheduled to play Newcastle at Elland Road. But should Sky opt to broadcast the Premier League fixture live, the game could be played on the Sunday instead, which would present a logistical nightmare for marathon organisers.

Given Leeds’ battle against relegation to the Championship and the fact Newcastle could still be fighting for a Champions League place come May, both teams will likely have plenty to play for, making the fixture more attractive to broadcasters.

At a presentation about the marathon at a community committee in Rawdon on Monday, organisers highlighted the game as one of a number of events taking place the same weekend. Although the race route is largely confined to northern areas of Leeds, away from Elland Road, major roads will be closed and there will be additional demand on the emergency services.

Speaking at the committee meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Sandy Lay told the organisers: “You’ll need to speak to Sky and BT Sport. The last thing we’d want is for the fixture to be moved to the same day.”

In response, Phil Evans, from Leeds City Council, which is assisting race organisers Run For All, said the issue had been “raised with the clubs and the police”. Should the game be broadcast by BT, that would be less likely to clash with the marathon, given it typically screens games on Saturday lunchtimes, rather than Sundays.

Sky has butted heads with Leeds United before, mainly when the club was in the Football League, over the disruption caused by rescheduling games at relatively short notice. In 2015, then club owner Massimo Cellino initially blocked camera crews from entering Elland Road ahead of a game against Derby, though he eventually relented just hours before kick-off.

The game against Newcastle will come 12 months after the north-east club helped save The Whites from the drop, by beating their relegation rivals Burnley at Turf Moor.