Why are Championship games kicking off a minute late this week? Explaining Wrexham vs. Millwall, other kickoff times

2 hours agoLast Updated: 4 February، 2026

As the race for promotion heats up in the English second tier, Championship matches are getting more attention, especially those featuring teams at the top of the table like Coventry City, Middlesbrough, and Hull City.

Even Wrexham are now part of the promotion picture. The club, owned by American actor Ryan Reynolds, has moved into a playoff position, entering the conversation for promotion.

With more attention comes a bigger spotlight, which the EFL is using to promote one of its charitable causes.

Eagle-eyed fans will notice that matches are kicking off one minute later than usual. While functionally the same, it looks jarring on official schedules — which is exactly the point.

The Sporting News explains why matches are starting one minute off the hour across this weekend’s Championship slate, as well as in League One and League Two.

MORE: Date, time, and participants for the 2026 EFL Cup final in March

Why are Championship games kicking off one minute later?

The scheduling quirk in the Championship this weekend is a targeted strategy to raise awareness for SkyBet’s partnership with the British Health Foundation (BHF) for their Every Minute Matters campaign.

According to the BHF, for every minute an individual suffering a cardiac arrest goes without CPR and defibrillation, their chance of survival decreases by 10 percent.

EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said, “Our 72 Clubs sit at the heart of their communities, and they show time and again how football can drive real-world change. The one-minute kick-off adjustment is a simple, powerful reminder that swift CPR can be the difference between life and death.”

The campaign is championed by former Luton Town player Tom Locklear, who collapsed on the pitch with heart-related emergencies twice in seven months back in 2023. Locklear, now a BHF ambassador as well as playing for League Two side Bristol Rovers, wants to bring attention to the potential life-saving measures that can be taken to help those in need.

“What happened to me can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time,” said Lockyer. “Every year, more than 40,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and most of them never make it home. I’m here today because of the transformative power of CPR as every minute matters when it comes to saving a life.”

Locklear suffered a cardiac arrest in his second incident, where his heart stopped for three minutes before he was revived.