Premier apps... never miss another football match

After all that free-to-view Olympic joy, sports fans are going to have to start paying again as the football returns with its exclusive rights and expensive subscriptions. This season’s live Premiership rights are again shared between Sky and ESPN — costing upwards of £30 a month to watch both — so it’s no wonder a series of apps have sprung up to help fans find the nearest pub showing the key games.

We’ve already seen the in-depth MatchPint iPhone app (free), which offers users details as specific as whether a pub has an outdoor screen and which niche foreign matches will be shown. But fans have other options too, including FootiePubs (69p) — a simpler app whose main selling point is its claim to have included every single pub showing football in London, including those using foreign TV providers. The designers told the Standard they checked with 3,500 pubs in Greater London (FootiePubs only works in the capital) — the app also shows if the pubs serve food. 

Real ale types might also enjoy the Stedders Guide App (free, on Android), which offers reviews of the best Real Ale pubs in every town with a football club in the English league, with the emphasis on quality drinking. 

There’s no excuse for missing a match this season — now if only someone could make an app showing 3 o’clock games …