Published on 29.09.2023
Burnley and Man City hold the highest positions in the rankings for the amount of time spent actively playing games.
The implementation of extended periods of additional time by referees to combat time-wasting in the current season is having a noticeable impact on teams and the record books.
Data from Second Spectrum, a leading provider of sports analytics, reveals that the average playing time in Premier League matches has increased significantly this season. In the 2022/23 season, games had an average duration of around 54 minutes, whereas this term it has risen to 59 minutes.
This figure is not only the highest since records began but also surpasses the previous record set in the 2013/14 season by two-and-a-half minutes. It brings teams closer to achieving an effective game time target of 60 minutes which has been widely discussed.
Furthermore, for the first time ever, games now exceed an average total duration of over 100 minutes. This demonstrates how additional stoppage time is impacting match lengths.
"Jordan Pickford's time wasting was DISGRACEFUL" 🤬 pic.twitter.com/PhbG8uJo2U
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 2, 2022
nterestingly, these changes are coinciding with another milestone: The Premier League seems poised to achieve an unprecedented average goal count per game throughout a full campaign for the first time in its history.
