Football and Christmas: An Age-Old Relationship

By Kirsty Norfolk

During one of the deadliest conflicts of all time the rivals relaxed for a single football match on 25th December 1914. On Christmas Eve, it is accounted that soldiers were no more than 150 metres away from each other through a network of trenches and tunnels, stretching from the north of France to Switzerland. A patch of land between known as ‘No Man’s Land’ became the pitch for Christmas. The sounds of constant screams, guns and shells were replaced by cheers, laughter and the singing of Christmas hymns. As depicted in the 2014 Sainsbury’s Christmas advert, it is reported that soldiers from both sides ventured into No Man’s Land to exchange gifts and well wishes, later in the day this resulted in impromptu football matches between the two sides. This was also a time for both sides to repair trenches, treat injuries and bury their dead. Some officers were angry at the match and another truce of that scale never occurred again during World War One or Two.
 
How else are Christmas and Football related?
 
December is one of the busiest periods for football, although there are no longer any matches played in England on Christmas Day, the last was in 1959. The Christmas Day football tradition began during the Victorian Era. Christmas was a rare public holiday and a well-deserved break from the harsh working conditions due to the Industrial Revolution, football was one of the only forms of entertainment before the days of the television. Football was so popular in 1888 that Everton played two matches on Christmas Day and one on Boxing Day. To increase drama, a lot of matches played at Christmas were local derbies, these brought in the most fans.
 
Nowadays, the Boxing Day fixtures are pinnacles of the Christmas experience for football fans; families and friends are able to be brought to together to enjoy the games.