Dates set for 2009-10 Italian season

The Lega Calcio have confirmed the 2009-10 Serie A championship will commence on the weekend of 22 and 23 August 2009 and will end on 16 May 2010.

The decision, along with the schedules for Serie B, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa, was confirmed after a meeting of the Italian Football League officials and members in Milan today.

There will be four midweek rounds next season on 23 September, 28 October, 6 January and 24 March, with three breaks for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on 6 September, 11 October and 15 November.

The Christmas break will start after the last round of the year on 20 December and will last until 6 January, so there will be no matches on the weekends of 27 December and 3 January.

As in previous years, there will be two Saturday games - one at 5pm UK time (+1hr for Italy/CET) and one at the new 7.45pm time slot, and the rest on Sunday - seven at the traditional 2pm slot and an evening game at 7.45pm.

However, the first two rounds of the Serie A season - both falling in the August heat - along with the final two rounds will see all fixtures kicking off in the evening.

There will also be changes to the normal schedules during La Befana public holiday on 6 January, the Easter weekend on 4 April and if Italian clubs progress through the knock-out stages of the European competitions.

The new Serie B season, which also includes four midweek rounds and a two-week Christmas break, begins on 21 August 2009. The regular league campaign will come to an end on 30 May 2010.

The second tier will continue with a game each scheduled for Friday and Monday nights at 7.45pm, with the remaining nine fixtures scheduled for Saturdays at a new 2.30pm slot.

Like the top-flight, the opening two rounds of the Serie B season will be scheduled for the evenings, while there will be changes to the normal schedules during internationals, Tuesday midweek rounds, and the public holidays.

The Coppa Italia competition will kick off with the First Round on 2 August and the single-match Final will take place on 5 May 2010. All the Serie B clubs enter in the Second Round, while the first batch of Serie A clubs begin in the Third Round. Only the semi-final ties will be decided over two matches in February 2010.

The Supercoppa Italiana final - the traditional curtain raiser to the Italian football season - between Serie A champions Inter and Coppa Italia holders Lazio will this year take place in Beijing, China on 8 August.

The final at the National Bird's Nest Stadium will kick off at 1pm UK time (+1hr for Italy/CET and +7hrs for local Beijing time).

Serie A 2009-10
Opening Matchday (Round 1) [draw]
Sunday 23 August 2009
Final Matchday (Round 38)
Sunday 16 May 2010
Midweek Matchdays
Wednesday 23 September 2009
Wednesday 28 October 2009
Wednesday 6 January 2010
Wednesday 24 March 2010
International Breaks
Sunday 6 September 2009
Sunday 11 October 2009
Sunday 15 November 2009
Winter/Christmas Break
Sunday 27 December 2009
Sunday 3 January 2010

Serie B 2009-10
Opening Matchday (Round 1) [draw]
Friday 21 August 2009
Final Matchday (Round 42)
Sunday 30 May 2010
Midweek Matchdays
Tuesday 22 September 2009
Tuesday 5 January 2010
Tuesday 23 March 2010
Tuesday 13 April 2010
Winter/Christmas Break
Saturday 26 December 2009
Saturday 2 January 2010
Break
Saturday 30 January 2010

Coppa Italia 2009-10
First Round [draw]
Sunday 2 August 2009
Second Round
Sunday 9 August 2009
Third Round
Saturday 15 August 2009
Fourth Round
Thursday 26 November or Tuesday 1 December 2009
Fifth Round
Thursday 10 December, or Tuesday 15 December 2009, or Wednesday 13 January 2010
Quarter-Finals
Wednesday 20 January, or Wednesday 27 January 2010
Semi-Finals (First Leg)
Wednesday 3 February 2010
Semi-Finals (Second Leg)
Wednesday 10 February 2010
Final
Wednesday 5 May 2010

Supercoppa Italiana 2009
Final [in Beijing]
Saturday 8 August 2009

Source: Lega Calcio