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Ben Bloom explores the origins of England’s Christmas football tradition and its most memorable moments

For many Premier League fans, the festive period is the best time of the season with top-flight games coming thick and fast. But why is that the case?

Where did England’s unique love of Christmas football come from, how does it compare to Europe’s other top leagues and what are some of the most memorable festive football moments? Here, football writer Ben Bloom investigates.

Festive Football’s origins

It all began in the late 19th century.

When Boxing Day was designated as a public holiday in England and Wales from 1871, it meant most workers received a rare two-day break over Christmas Day (25 December) and 26 December.

With the creation of the Football League in 1888, the festive period was seen as the ideal time to cram in as much football as possible to cater to the masses during the holiday period.

For the next 60 to 70 years, top-flight Christmas Day and Boxing Day football became something of a ritual, with most teams playing on consecutive days in the hope of drawing bumper attendances.

Unlike modern times when Christmas in England is largely seen as an opportunity to gather domestically, public holidays used to be seen as an opportunity to leave the house and congregate at large-scale events.

“For the working class, whose residences were often uncomfortable, overcrowded and unappealing, a rare day free from work was reason to take to the streets, not relax at home,” explained Martin Johnes in his book Christmas and the British.

Eager to capitalise, football clubs routinely scheduled matches over the Christmas period, and played up to three times during the long Easter weekend.

Until the 1950s, there was usually a full round of top-flight fixtures played on Christmas Day.

But, as time went on, living standards improved and Christmas Day family gatherings moved within the home. Public transport options also became more limited.

Christmas Day football began to dwindle until the last English league match on 25 December 1965, when Blackpool beat Blackburn Rovers 4-2.

“Loads of people would go to Blackpool for a Christmas break, so the idea was to give them something to entertain them,” Blackpool winger Graham Oates recalled to the Telegraph. “And for the club to make some money, obviously.”

Yet while Christmas Day football fell by the wayside, the tradition of Boxing Day matches endured and football remained a prominent feature of the festive period.

Recent changes

With supporters of Premier League clubs eager to watch as much football as possible and administrators keen to cater to their wishes, fixture congestion around the festive period reached what some managers and players suggested was unsustainable levels a few years ago when top-flight football would take place daily (other than Christmas Day) over the festive period.

With a greater understanding of the physical and mental exertions placed on top-flight clubs, a winter (or mid-season) break was brought in for the first time during the 2019/20 campaign.

That pause was allocated to individual clubs at different points throughout January, but it was dropped ahead of the 2024/25 season in favour of a longer summer break (there were 83 days between the end of the last season and the start of the current campaign).

While the festive period remains busy, no Premier League club will play two games within 60 hours of each other across Matchweeks 17, 18, 19 and 20 this season, ensuring sufficient rest time for players and staff.

With fewer weekends available for Premier League competition following the expansion of European club competitions, this season features just one top-flight Boxing Day game (Manchester United v Newcastle United), as the bulk of Matchweek 18 fixtures take place on Saturday 27 December.

Assurance has been given that next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day, as the date falls on a Saturday.