Premier League

Why does the Premier League play on Boxing Day?

Published

2 months ago

December 22, 2022

Today, December 26th, the 17th matchday begins in the Premier League. Why is there a game on Boxing Day? SPOX explains it.

Here we go! Although the final of the World Cup in Qatar was only played on December 18, clubs in the Premier League are now pursuing their domestic goals again. On December 26th, the whistle will sound in English football after the World Cup, with the 17th matchday continuing.

Seven games are contested on Boxing Day, this game day is commonly referred to as Boxing Day. Brentford FC vs. Tottenham Hotspur (1.30 p.m.), Crystal Palace vs. Fulham FC, Everton FC vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City vs. Newcastle United and Southampton FC vs. Brighton & Hove Albion (all from 4 p.m.), Aston Villa against Liverpool FC (6.30 p.m.) and Arsenal FC against West Ham United (9 p.m.).

But why is there actually a game played at Christmas in England while the ball is resting in Germany, Spain or Italy for the festivities? SPOX gets to the bottom of this below.

Boxing Day: Why does the Premier League play on Boxing Day?

To understand that, you have to dig a little in the history book. The term “Boxing Day” dates back to the 19th century and the time of Queen Victoria. In the United Kingdom at the time, it was customary for the wealthier section of the population to put together and give Christmas packages to the poorer people and servants on December 26th. Employees had the day off and usually took the gifts they received home to their families. The word boxing is the English word for “pack up”.

Football has been played at Christmas in England since the late 19th century. Up until the 1950s, there was even a full matchday on Christmas Day, i.e. on Christmas Day. However, because on December 25th all public transport employees were given time off, this led to such major logistical problems that the match day had to be postponed to December 26th. Since 1966, the ball has been kicked across the lawn on the second public holiday in England.

Assistant manager to a Chelsea legend! The “Invincibles” and what became of them

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As Arsenal soar, we look back at Arsenal’s incredible streak: The Gunners went 49 straight games unbeaten in 2003/04 and went down in history as the ‘Invincibles’. The stars of yesteryear and what became of them.

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However, Arsenal cannot reach the milestone again this season. After ten games there is a defeat. However, Mikel Arteta’s team won the remaining nine games and is already four points ahead of Man City.

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GOALKEEPER: Jens Lehmann, completed all 38 games of the season. Remained at FC Arsenal until 2008 and came back after a detour to VfB Stuttgart. He then worked as a coach and was on the Hertha supervisory board until May 2021.

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DEFENSE: Kolo Touré, 37 games, 1 goal. Stayed until 2009 before moving to Man City for a lot of money. However, the best time was over, even if he became champion again with City. 2017 end of career. Now on the coaching staff at Leicester City.

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Sol Campbell, 35 games, 1 goal. Left the Gunners for Portsmouth in 2006 and actually won the FA Cup with Pompey. After that: Notts County and back to Arsenal. End of career in 2011, since then he has been politically active.

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Ashley Cole, 32 games. Two years after the title, he moved to city rivals Chelsea before moving on to AS Roma in 2014. Ended his career at Derby County in the summer of 2019 and is now assistant coach to Frank Lampard at Everton FC.

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Lauren, 32 games. Lauren Bisan-Etame Mayer spent his prime with the Gunners. In 2007 he followed Campbell to Portsmouth. Ended his career in 2010. Since then he has worked as a TV expert in LaLiga or at the Africa Cup of Nations.

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Pascal Cygan, 18 games. Went to Spain from Arsenal in 2006 and returned home from there. A former sporting director at his former club ES Wasquehal, he now coaches the Under-18s at Belgian club Royal Excel Mouscron.

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Justin Hoyte, 1 game. The Gunners’ own offspring was still a teenager at the time and was only allowed to get a taste of the grown-ups. Later mainly Middlesbrough, was without a club in the meantime and now plays for Miami Beach CF.

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Martin Keown, 10 games. After a total of 13 years, left Arsenal for Leicester in the summer after the title. Later still with Reading, but his career ended in 2005. After that he was initially seen as a coach, but today more as a TV expert.

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MIDFELD: Patrick Vieira, 29 games, 3 goals. Left Arsenal for Juve in 2005, to the displeasure of fans, then Inter a year later. Returned to England to finish and ended his career at Man City in 2011. Crystal Palace coach since 2021.

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Robert Pires, 36 games, 14 goals. Magically two more years with the Gunners and then went to Villarreal FC. Came out of retirement in 2014 to play for Goa FC in India. Final career end: 2016. Currently planning a coaching career.

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Gilberto Silva, 32 games, 4 goals. Farewell 2008, Panathinaikos, Gremio Porto Alegre, Atletico Mineiro, career end 2013. In 2016 he was director of professional football at his former club Panathinaikos for a few months.

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Edu, 30 games, 2 goals. After the title he stayed for another year. Four seasons at Valencia was followed by a move home to Brazil. He has been technical director of Arsenal FC since 2019 – and has therefore played a major role in the current success!

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Freddie Ljungberg, 30 games, 4 goals. After retiring in 2011, he made a brief comeback in India in 2013. He then worked for the Arsenal youth team, was assistant coach at Wolfsburg and later assistant to Gunners coach Arteta. Currently without a club.

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Ray Parlor, 25 games. Was already a veteran when Wenger took over in 1996. Moved to Middlesbrough after the Invincibles season, eventually retiring from Hull City in 2007. Today he can be seen as a TV expert.

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MIDFELD: David Bentley, 1 game. The championship season was his first as a professional – and last at Arsenal. He then played for Norwich, Blackburn, Tottenham, Birmingham, West Ham and Rostov before retiring in 2013 aged 29.

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ATTACK: Thierry Henry, 37 games, 30 goals. Joined Barca in 2007 and won the title he was missing (CL!). Came back for four games in 2012 and scored promptly. After that coach at Monaco and Montreal Impact, assistant coach of Belgium since summer.

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Dennis Bergkamp, 28 games, 4 goals. After losing the CL final in 2006, he ended his career. He then worked in various capacities for youth club Ajax. Most recently assistant coach at Dutch club Almere City. Now without a club.

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Jose Antonio Reyes, 13 games, 2 goals. The Spaniard didn’t last long at Arsenal – he returned home in 2006. After stints at Real and Atletico, among others, he moved to China in 2018. He passed away in June 2019 after a tragic car accident.

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Sylvain Wiltord, 12 games, 3 goals. After various positions in France, Wiltord ended his career in 2012. In 2015 he took part in the reality show Dropped. A day after his retirement, ten contestants died in a helicopter crash.

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Nwankwo Kanu, 10 games, 1 goal. The league title was followed by two seasons at West Brom and six at Portsmouth. In 2012, Kanu ended his career.

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Jeremie Aliadiere, 10 games. A year after the championship title, he left Arsenal and then mutated into a migratory bird. In 2017 he ended his active career in his home country of France at FC Lorient.

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COACH: Arsene Wenger. After winning the championship in 2004, he remained in charge of Arsenal for 14 years. Although the triumph was not repeated, they still managed to win four FA Cups (2005, 2014, 2015, 2017). He has been FIFA Director since 2019.

Premier League: Duels on matchday 17

meeting	home	Guest
26.12., 13:30	Brentford	Tottenham
26.12., 16:00	Crystal Palace	Fulham
26.12., 16:00	everton	wolves
26.12., 16:00	leicester	newcastle
26.12., 16:00	southampton	Brighton
26.12., 18:30	AstonVilla	Liverpool
26.12., 21:00	arsenal	west ham
27.12., 18:30	Chelsea	Bournemouth
27.12., 21:00	Man Utd	Nottingham Forest
28.12., 21:00	leeds	man city

Premier League table

Place	Association	games	Gates	difference	Points
1.	arsenal	14	33:11	22	37
2.	Manchester City	14	40:14	26	32
3.	Newcastle United	15	29:11	18	30
4.	Tottenham Hotspur	15	31:21	10	29
5.	Manchester United	14	20:20	0	26
6.	Liverpool	14	28:17	11	22
7.	Brighton & Hove Albion	14	23:19	4	21
8th.	Chelsea	14	17:17	0	21
9.	Fulham	15	24:26	-2	19
10	Brentford	15	23:25	-2	19
11.	Crystal Palace	14	15:18	-3	19
12.	AstonVilla	15	16:22	-6	18
13.	Leicester City	15	25:25	0	17
14	AFC Bournemouth	15	18:32	-14	16
15	LeedsUnited	14	22:26	-4	15
16	West Ham United	15	12:17	-5	14
17	everton	15	11:17	-6	14
18	Nottingham Forest	15	11:30 a.m	-19	13
19	southampton	15	13:27	-14	12
20	Wolverhampton Wanderers	15	8:24	-16	10