Dailystar.co.uk 
Why football matches are no longer played on Christmas Day in the UK
Football matches are no longer played on Christmas Day in the United Kingdom due to the introduction of a modern innovation.
Up until the 1950s, Football League clubs would contest a full schedule of fixtures on Christmas Day, with matches also then played on Boxing Day too. In fact, back in 1888, Everton played two matches on Christmas Day before taking to the pitch for a third time the following day.
However, the introduction of floodlights in the 1950s eased the need to cram in matches over the festive period as they could now be played in the evening instead.
READ MORE: Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes lands Fans' Footballer of the Year award for 2022
As a result, the 1957/58 season saw the Football League's last full round of Christmas Day matches. As fans began to prefer staying at home in the warmth with their families, attendances at the remaining matches dwindled.
Those lowering attendances led to the end of Christmas Day football, with the match between Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers in 1965 the last English league match to be played on December 25.
There was an attempt to revive the tradition in the 1980s, though, with Brentford and Wimbledon planning to meet in the third division on Christmas Day.
Would you go to watch football on Christmas Day? Let us know in the comments section below.
A protest from supporters caused the plans to be scrapped, with the match instead taking place a day earlier on Christmas Eve.
The only home nation to still host matches on Christmas Day now is Northern Ireland, with the Steel and Sons Cup final taking place each year.
At the peak of festive football, as many as 3.5million fans attended Football League matches across three days of fixtures in 1949, according to FourFourTwo.
Such was the tradition, women's teams filled the void left by the men during both World War I and World War II so that fans could get their football fix at Christmas.
International matches have also been known to take place on Christmas Day in the past, including in the Copa America, which hosted it's 1925 final on December 25.
READ NEXT:
Elon Musk spotted at World Cup final as fans beg him to buy Man Utd
Man Utd plotting '£200m transfer spree for Jude Bellingham and Frenkie De Jong'
Marcus Rashford set to become Man Utd's highest earning player – on one condition
Related News & Content
-
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal,Following up on this answer I'm trying to determine how to create a modal with completely unique menu items/content than the media modal. If you add a new state you can add a new menu tab and hav... -
Get post by tag
Get post by tag,I want to get several post by tag. So I try to use get_posts() function: <?php $args = array( 'numberposts' => '3', 'post_status' => 'publish', 'tag' => 'travel' ); $ -
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?,On a normal website, I am able to add JSON-LD structured data, such as below, into a Elementor HTML widget, in a proper way. However, as soon as I insert JSON-LD format into an ACF field (Textarea)... -
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child,This is a continuation of the following post: Custom Gutenberg block with nested InnerBlocks renderAppender not displaying add button I solved one problem but created a different problem. I'm recr... -
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers,On a WooCommerce website, I have a REST endpoint created with register_rest_route that returns a JSON response. To perform a routine with a certain frequency and urgency, I have added this instruct... -
How do I change top header background color
How do I change top header background color,Please refer to website: https://virginiafrank.com I cannot get the top header background color (or phone numbers) to change color. I would prefer the background gold and text black. I can't make t... -
How to display the_tags() as plain text
How to display the_tags() as plain text,the_tags by default is displaying as URL. I need to display it as plain text to insert inside HTML attribute. <?php $tag = the_tags(''); ?> <div class="image-portfolio" data-section... -
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user,in wordpress multisite when we give to site admin the option to add new users, site admin dont have the "checkbox" to add the new user without sending the user email with link activation (see the -
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion,Despite the Terrible Disaster on October 7, and the Failures It Exposed, Israel Is Still Convinced That the Image of the Mad Man Will Ensure Its Security -
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos,CAROL Kirkwood stunned in a figure-hugging dress amid a technical blunder. BBC Breakfast was flung into chaos this morning after a string of sound issues. However Carol, 61, was all smiles as she p… -
Families ‘to sue prison’ where loud inmates ‘terrorise kids’ with screaming
Families 'to sue prison' where loud inmates 'terrorise kids' with screaming,Residents living next door to a new prison who say their kids have to sleep wearing headphones and some leave during weekends due to the racket are threatening to sue the prison service -
Doctor Strange’s Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought – Looper
Doctor Strange's Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought - Looper,According to entertainment leaker Alex Perez, Doctor Strange will find himself confronting his inner struggles as he headlines "Avengers: Secret Wars." -
Here’s Your Homework Before Falling in Love with Mike Faist in Challengers
Here's Your Homework Before Falling in Love with Mike Faist in Challengers,Ahead of Challengers arriving in theaters this week, here are some of the actor's other essential credits. -
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on Mad Season and Almost Starting a Band with Kurt Cobain: Podcast Rewind
Pearl Jam's Mike McCready on Mad Season and Almost Starting a Band with Kurt Cobain: Podcast Rewind,In two podcast interviews from the vault, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready talks about Mad Season and almost starting a band with Kurt Cobain. Listen. -
‘What Jennifer Did’: Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case
'What Jennifer Did': Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case,Most of Jennifer Pan's entire life was made up of lies. When her parents began to catch on, she decided to bring in hired hitmen. -
What’s behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year’s music festivals?
What's behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year's music festivals?,The public sentiment about this year's crop of music festivals is an overwhelming "meh." There are good reasons for this. -
JERA backs AboitizPower’s plan to build offshore wind projects
JERA backs AboitizPower’s plan to build offshore wind projects,JERA Co. Inc., Japan’s largest power generation company, is willing to back Aboitiz Power Corp. should it decide to pursue offshore wind projects. -
Insurance penetration declines to 1.75% of GDP
Insurance penetration declines to 1.75% of GDP,The insurance industry saw its net income slightly decline to almost P10 billion in the first quarter amid a drop in the life segment.
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.scienceradars.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 169
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.bayuexiang.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 173
![iFi's GO Bar Kensei Dongle DAC Supports K2HD Technology With Some Samurai Swagger [Updated]](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.ecoustics.com/db0/wblob/17BA35E873D594/33FF/45A11/QTXOLJR4xDKSNMMk2WlTgjaIlvSgcYpeU1xJzUwIoYs/ifi-go-bar-kensei.jpg?w=768&ssl=1 "iFi's GO Bar Kensei Dongle DAC Supports K2HD Technology With Some Samurai Swagger [Updated]")
