Do footballers train on Christmas Day in the Premier League and EFL?
Most leagues in Europe have a one- to two-week winter break around Christmas, when games are suspended and training schedules are reduced.
But festival football has been a fixture in Britain for decades. This means that, yes, most professional football players will be training on Christmas Day.
“You have to go to training when your kids are out there playing with their new toys and that’s a big sacrifice. It’s not about money – it’s just human nature,” former Sheffield United, Tottenham Hot Midfielder for Spurs and Fulham Michael Brown told the BBC.
The top flight leagues in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, as well as England’s lower leagues, are all scheduled for Boxing Day, with Christmas training sessions the last chance for coaches to help players stay fit and work on the game plan.
Clubs training over Christmas often post festive photos online of players wearing Santa hats and reindeer noses.
Christmas Day training for teams playing home games on Boxing Day usually takes place in the morning or early afternoon, before the players go home later in the day to spend time with their families.
But if a team plays an away game on Boxing Day, things get more complicated.
Clubs will often spend the night in a hotel the night before an away game, especially if the kick-off time is early or the journey is further away, meaning it is common to stay overnight in a hotel after a coach or flight.
