What you're watching
A preview
The curtain-raiser
The Community Shield is played between the Premier League champions and the FA Cup winners, and it is the first competitive fixture of the English season. The league starts the following weekend.
The money goes to communities
It is a charity match by design and has been since 1908, when it was the Charity Shield. Proceeds go to community initiatives and charities around the country.
Rules are different from usual league games
Six substitutions, not five
Each club can name nine substitutes and use six of them. A Premier League match allows five.
More changes late on means fresher legs, more bookings, and a better chance the decisive moment comes from somebody who started on the bench.
It is officially a friendly
The Community Shield is classified as a friendly, which means disciplinary sanctions picked up in it do not carry into the season.
Is it a real trophy?
Nobody can agree. This are their arguments:
"The Community Shield is a prestigious match but I have used players in it who were not quite fit... it's always a game we never quite use as a do or die thing; we use it as a barometer for fitness."
Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United
"Why do you say this question, a friendly? When is the Community Shield a friendly? Of course we will be at the maximum and Manchester United will be at their maximum. The two teams want to win. I am very excited."
Claudio Ranieri, Leicester City
"It is not a friendly game. It is an official game and there is a trophy so for us it must be important."
Antonio Conte, Chelsea
It is the first final of the season.
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City, before the 2018 Community Shield
And the people who watch it
There is also no consensus amongst supporters
"It's a glorified friendly." — "Friendly with benefits, one might say."
theballadofdorothy, answered by xSaIntLuKe
"It's literally the least important 'competitive' match of the season. PL points being up for grabs automatically makes league games more important. Being able to progress to later rounds (and the financial rewards available) make any european or cup match more important."
Kapika96, on Reddit
"When there's some s*** to be won, g*ddamnit, I want it. I don't give a f*** what it is. Y'know what I'm talkin' about? I take no prisoners. I go hard doing this s***. Big dog. Big nuts. When names is on a motherf***in' board I want to see my name at the top of that motherf***er and next to it, it need to say 'Winner'."
bdement, on Reddit