The last descriptive post to share at this time is the scheduling issue.
Being semi-pro players with regular jobs in iron, shipbuilding and textile factories in the midlands, they couldn't just up and travel around with a team for several months a year—well, not in 1888, anyway. The league is just starting, and it's not even a fait accompli it's going to succeed in the long-term yet, given the ongoing row between the pro and anti factions of the professionalism argument.
So, to work around this issue, the league set up games to occur only around the weekends, with one game on Friday and a doubleheader (a splendid American innovation) on Saturday. Why no games on Sunday? That idea was a huge taboo in England, a country that closed down in its entirety all day on Sunday to allow you ample time to commune with the Lord, all day long, because what else are you gonna do? Everything's closed.
So the English League developed a sixty-six game schedule over the course of 22 weeks, with 1:00pm games on Friday (attended mostly by professionals, office personnel and shift workers), and 1:00pm doubleheaders on Saturday (attended mainly by day shift workers enjoying their newly-won Saturday afternoon off), starting the first weekend of May and ending the last weekend of September.
Because of the financial success of the first year, with some teams clearing a profit—not just revenue, but profit!—of over £500, there's already talk after the first year of expanding the schedule to include weekday games to get even more attendance by shift workers and professionals, and creating a true professional ballplayer class. But cooler heads prevailed for 1889, and it will continue to be a 66-game 22-weekend schedule for the indefinite future.
Here is what the schedule looks like for the defending co-champion Derby County Rams for the upcoming 1889 season. (Note: the Saturday games indicate a 4:00pm start time, but that is actually the second game of the doubleheader, the first game of which starts at 1:00pm):
