ealingfox Posted 17 April 2018 Posted 17 April 2018 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/04/17/winter-break-finally-coming-english-football-2019-20-season/ Winter break finally coming to English football during 2019-20 season English professional football will finally get a winter break during the 2019-20 season CREDIT: SIMON STACPOOLE/OFFSIDE Luke Edwards 17 APRIL 2018 • 9:19PM English football is planning to introduce a winter break before the next European Championship in what will represent a major victory for the Football Association. The decision will be formally announced before the end of the season, but it is understood that an agreement has already been reached between the FA, the Premier League and Football League that will allow clubs in the 2019-20 season to have a break from competitive games in January and the start of February. The FA has been pushing for a winter break for years in the belief that the competitive nature of the Premier League leaves players drained for international tournaments at the end of the season. The break will not impact on the traditionally hectic Christmas schedule, which is seen as vital to preserving the value of the Premier League’s lucrative television deal. Any reduction to it would have angered supporters. Several foreign managers, including Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, have described English football’s obsession with playing as many as four games over the Festive period as crazy, but it remains hugely popular with fans. Some of the biggest TV audiences of the season traditionally come in December. England’s winter break will not be the same as other European countries, who have a complete shutdown in the league programme. Instead, the games will be staggered over the break period so not all the clubs will have the same 13 days off. This is also thought to have been a concession made to broadcasters, who have turned the Premier League into the richest in world football, as they still want some matches available to cover at weekends. The agreement was reached after the FA agreed to play the entire FA Cup fifth round in midweek, freeing up a vital weekend in the schedule. The FA’s council is thought to have been updated with the plans at its meeting yesterday. A joint announcement is expected within the next four weeks. The two-week break will be introduced for the 2019-20 season, the first year of the new Premier League TV contract. It remains unclear whether lower league clubs, who rely on gate receipts for vital income, will also be included in the break, although the fact the Football League is understood to have agreed suggests they will at this stage.
ealingfox Posted 17 April 2018 Author Posted 17 April 2018 Right idea, wrong execution for me. Should do it at the start of January when its coldest and nobody has any money after Christmas. Depressing that its been done with the TV-watching fan in mind rather than the match-going fan. Add in a midweek or 2 near the start of the season when we're all gagging for some footy, play Boxing Day and/or New Years but not squeeze in another game, do the FA Cup 3rd round as normal first weekend of January, then everyone takes the next weekend off and come back the week after.
fox766 Posted 17 April 2018 Posted 17 April 2018 1 hour ago, ealingfox said: Right idea, wrong execution for me. Should do it at the start of January when its coldest and nobody has any money after Christmas. Depressing that its been done with the TV-watching fan in mind rather than the match-going fan. Add in a midweek or 2 near the start of the season when we're all gagging for some footy, play Boxing Day and/or New Years but not squeeze in another game, do the FA Cup 3rd round as normal first weekend of January, then everyone takes the next weekend off and come back the week after. I agree and thought the same thing. The problem you have is that you applied common sense. Everyone knows these people have very little of it and are just out to line their own pockets. Thus the reason of them staggering the PL teams breaks. 1
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