Christmas Day Football - The Lost Tradition

It’s been exactly 60 years since the last English league match was played on Christmas Day. On 25 December 1965, Blackpool hosted Blackburn Rovers in a festive Lancashire derby that would become the final flicker of a long-standing tradition. While Boxing Day remains a staple of the football calendar, the idea of heading to the ground after unwrapping presents has quietly faded into the past. Here’s a look back at how Christmas Day football began, what made it special, and why it came to an end.

Victorian Beginnings

The Football League didn’t include Christmas Day matches in its inaugural season (1888), but by the very next year, Preston North End hosted Aston Villa on 25 December 1889. That 3-2 win for Preston drew around 9,000 fans and marked the beginning of Christmas football as a regular fixture.

By the early 20th century, the tradition was well-established. Local derbies were often scheduled to reduce travel, and many clubs played the same opponent home and away over Christmas and Boxing Day. It wasn’t unusual for fans to watch a game in the morning and be home in time for turkey in the afternoon.

When Christmas Meant Football

For much of the 20th century, football on Christmas Day was as normal as carols and crackers. The interwar years and post-WWII period were the high points, with full fixture lists and packed crowds. In 1949, over 3 million fans attended league matches during the Christmas week. Players would sometimes play three matches in four days. Fans shared flasks and sang carols on the terraces.

Holiday scheduling quirks added to the charm. Tranmere once lost 4–1 on Christmas Day, only to win the return fixture 13–4 the next day. Matches were sometimes played in snow, fog, or biting cold, but still the crowds came.

Christmas Day 1914 was particularly notable. Despite the shadow of World War I, nine First Division matches went ahead, drawing a combined crowd of around 173,000. Football was still seen as a morale-booster, and a newspaper at the time declared that to millions:

Christmas without football would not be Christmas at all. (Essex Newsman, 21 December, 1945)

And across the Channel that same day, one of football’s most poignant and enduring moments occurred. British and German troops along the Western Front took part in the famous 1914 Christmas Truce. In the frozen fields of Flanders, soldiers from both sides briefly set down their arms and came together to sing carols, exchange gifts, and even play informal matches in No Man’s Land.

Christmas Day Classics

There were high-scoring thrillers (Chelsea 7–4 Portsmouth in 1957), and even a match in 1940 where Norwich beat a scratch Brighton team 18–0. The largest Christmas Day crowds topped 60,000 at places like Newcastle and Arsenal.

Some stories veer into folklore: players turning up tipsy after too much Christmas cheer, supporters pelting the pitch with orange peel, and squads sharing a turkey dinner on the train between back-to-back games.

And for Coventry fans: our own Ken Satchwell scored the last ever Football League hat-trick on Christmas Day, in a 5–3 win over Wrexham in 1959. One of the last festive hurrahs before the tradition faded.

The Final Whistle: 25 December 1965

60 years ago today, in 1965, Blackpool beat Blackburn Rovers 4–2 in front of just over 20,000 fans. Young Alan Ball, not yet a World Cup winner, scored one of the goals. The weather was chilly but the game was lively, and the matchday programme was wrapped in festive green and tangerine.

That game became, quietly, the last of its kind.

Why It Ended

The reasons are a mix of culture, logistics, and changing times. More families preferred to stay home on Christmas morning. Public transport no longer ran on Christmas Day. Policing and stewarding became harder to organise. Players were increasingly reluctant to spend Christmas away from their families.

The spread of floodlights and TV also meant fixtures could be moved to evenings or rescheduled around the holidays. Boxing Day, a public holiday since the 19th century, proved more popular for fans and clubs alike. By the early 60s, most clubs had already opted out. No ban was needed. The tradition just slipped away.

Remembering Christmas Football

Christmas Day football was sometimes chaotic, often charming, and always memorable. It belongs to another era, one of packed terraces, handwritten programmes, and roaring fires waiting at home. Brentford tried to make it come back in 1983 when the tried to schedule a game for Christmas morning. But fans rebelled and the club backed down.

These days, players can enjoy their mince pies in peace, and fans save their voices for Boxing Day.