Premier League Faces Scheduling Dilemma for St Stephen’s Day

The traditional St Stephen’s Day celebration of football could be significantly reduced this year, with the Premier League potentially hosting only one match on December 26, 2023. This scheduling issue arises from a cramped calendar caused by an expanded Champions League and the need to allocate weekends for the FA Cup. St Stephen’s Day falls on a Friday this year, complicating the league’s efforts to maintain its commitment to broadcasters for 33 weekends of fixtures.

With the league needing to balance these commitments, finding another suitable weekend to schedule matches has proven challenging. Typically, Premier League games are held at 15:00 on Saturdays, unless moved for broadcast purposes. This season marks a pivotal change, as all matches not played during the traditional Saturday blackout are being broadcast live. However, only one broadcast slot is available for Friday fixtures, leaving fans and clubs in a tight spot.

The prospect of a limited St Stephen’s Day schedule raises concerns over accessibility, particularly due to the lack of public transport on that day. The Premier League had pledged to announce its television selections for December and January by October 15, but as of now, the fixture list has only been confirmed until December 22.

The English Football League (EFL) has a full schedule planned for St Stephen’s Day, unlike the Premier League. The last time the holiday fell on a Friday, in 2014, the league featured a full slate of matches, including notable performances from players such as Raheem Sterling, who scored for Liverpool in a 1-0 victory against Burnley, and Wayne Rooney, who netted twice in Manchester United’s 3-1 win over Newcastle.

In recent years, the number of matches played on St Stephen’s Day has varied. Last year saw eight Premier League games, while five were held in 2023 and seven in 2022. Looking ahead, there is hope that the traditional scheduling will return in 2026, when St Stephen’s Day will again fall on a Saturday.

The constraints from the Champions League expansion, which has introduced league matches during January, along with exclusive FA Cup scheduling for the fourth, fifth, and quarter-final rounds, are pressures that the Premier League must navigate for the foreseeable future. As fans await the final fixture decisions, the excitement of St Stephen’s Day football hangs in a precarious balance.