There’s something romantic about football around the festive period. More games are played around Christmas than at any other stage of the season, with Premier League sides asking to play a series of fixtures in the space of just a few days. Managers may bemoan it, but it’s a distinctly British tradition that, for once, puts fans ahead of the clubs.
This is, after all, when fans tend to have the most time off. This is a chance for them to attend games with their families, adding to the sentiment felt around the festive fixture schedule. There are, however, certain times that are considered sacred. Christmas Day, for one. And Christmas Eve, for another.
That hasn’t stopped the Premier League scheduling a card of games for Christmas Eve this year, though. Indeed, the English top flight is strongly considering moving fixtures from Saturday December 23, when games have been played for the past decade, to Sunday December 24, with the Football Supporters Federation describing it as “a new low point in putting the interests of football broadcasters over those of match-going fans.”
Of course, the Premier League would counter that Christmas Eve presents them with a primetime television opportunity that they simply can’t miss. The nation tends to spend the day before Christmas sat on the sofa, and so Richard Scudamore will have an easy sell to the Premier League’s member clubs. The dollar signs are probably already spinning in their eyes.
But this was an opportunity for the division to very publicly put fans front and centre. It was an open goal, a chance to show that they take the feedback of supporters seriously. And yet they somehow missed that open goal, seduced by the prospect of more money. It’s a story that has become all too familiar in recent times.
There has been a compromise of sorts, with the Premier League bucking to public pressure on the kick off times of games played on Christmas Eve. No fixtures will be played any later than 4pm, with a final decision on kick-off times to be made later in the month. “We welcome this development in guaranteeing there will be no 4pm kick-offs on Christmas Eve,” Kevin Miles, CEO of FSF, said. “While we understand that it is a normal working day for many, the complications Christmas Eve brings, not least with the provision of public transport, means that a late afternoon or evening kick-off would be impossible for many supporters.”
It’s true that this is hardly a victory. A 4pm kick-off would mean an evening of travelling home for thousands of fans, the day before Christmas. All for what? Just so their club can satisfy the TV broadcasters who already have the sport bent over a barrel. This fixture could be played on Saturday with no fuss at all.
“We are starting to establish a basis for genuine dialogue,” Miles elaborated, providing some hope that the decision will be reversed entirely. “Even when we have differences of opinion we at least understand each other’s point of view. The Premier League have made genuine efforts to meet our requirements.”
Festive football is something that should be cherished, but the Premier League have somehow taken a fixture card that puts fans first and turned it into just another thing that treats them with contempt. And that provides a metaphor for what modern football has become. Not even the goodwill felt around Christmas can change that.
