Whether it’s food, music or movies, this time of the year is all about traditions. To my mind, there are few better than Boxing Day football. Across the country, fans like me partake in the ritual of watching our team play a match, the result of which can make or break our Christmas.
Teams in other top European leagues get a two-week break over Christmas. But while our neighbours on the continent might enjoy their football-free festivities, over here we have a packed schedule. The number of games being played in just a few days means Boxing Day marks the start of a crucial period of the season. Lose a couple of these Christmas clashes and your side’s hopes for the campaign can be dashed. Win them, and you can go into the new year full of hope. It all puts extra importance on that first game.
It is lovely to step out into the fresh air and head to a game after the over-indulgence of Christmas Day
If nothing else, should your team be playing at home on Boxing Day it’s a few hours where you can get away from the family bickering and terrible cracker jokes, before returning just in time for leftovers.
When the fixtures come out, fans always look to see who and where their teams are playing on Boxing Day. I am always disappointed if my team – Tottenham – is not at home. It is lovely to step out into the fresh air and head to a game after the over-indulgence of Christmas Day. Going to a game with my Dad always feels even more special during the festive period too. It is not just a regular match, but an occasion.
The atmosphere at the ground for these fixtures is also somewhat different to that during the rest of the year. There is a bit more of a buzz from fans who have not had to rush to the ground after work and are likely looking forward to a few days off. The football is the centrepiece of their – our –Boxing Day.
That said, the crowd can sometimes be a bit sleepy to begin with, but a bit of action on the pitch tends to liven thing up quickly. This includes the use of chants that are only appropriate at this time of year, not least the evergreen variation on Jingle Bells: ‘Oh what fun it is to see [insert visiting team] win away’. Other seasonal chants are not printable in a family publication such as this, but all help to give the Boxing Day matches their distinct feel.
Some things have, of course, changed over the years. There is, in fact, a history of football matches being played on Christmas Day. Indeed, these games usually took place between local rivals and the same teams used to play each other on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day, once at each club’s ground. No longer. The last Christmas Day match in England was Blackpool vs Blackburn Rovers in 1965. The end of Christmas Day football is probably for the best.
Things have modernised in other ways too, including on the media front. Amazon’s streaming service, Prime Video, now has the rights to show matches today. It’s a hugely prestigious slot for a non-traditional outlet to have bagged. It shows how football broadcasting, and sports broadcasting in general, is changing whilst still trying to maintain some of its heritage.
Today, the games will begin with Man City vs Everton at 12.30 p.m. and end with Brighton vs Brentford, which kicks-off at 7.30 p.m. By the time the final whistle blows in that match, there will have been around nine hours of almost unbroken live football to watch. That’s the true meaning of Christmas!
The good thing about all the games being streamed like this is that you do not have to move to catch the action. The bad thing about it is that if you’re not going to a match, you might get roped into doing some washing-up or, worse, playing games with the family instead of being able to take it all in.
Boxing Day football is not some British anachronism. We’re not the only country in which sport plays a big part in our Christmas. In the United States, basketball is an integral part of Christmas Day. The NFL has moved onto that turf too, and Netflix will now show two live games on 25 December.
From about mid-November, barely an interview with a football manager or player goes by without them moaning about how many matches there are over Christmas. I understand. They cannot take the time off to relax with their families. The risk of injury due to the heavy fixture load is real. However, there are far more nonsensical bits of the football calendar – the expanded Club World Cup, for instance – that should be done away with before fans are deprived of the ritualistic joy of Boxing Day football.
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