Many other leagues around the world have a winter break of one or two months including the German Bundesliga and the Turkish Super Lig. It is an issue which has been discussed in this country before, but with the particularly bad weathered winter we had this year, in my opinion the idea of having a winter break should start to be taken seriously.
The many benefits of having a winter break can be seen especially when it comes to German football. The national team always perform well when it comes to Summer international tournaments such as, the World Cup and the Euros. This could be because they are fresher with the 6 week break they have mid-way through the season, when players at the clubs in England have to play a full 9-10 months of football with out a break. The German international team aren't the only ones that benefit from this, as the clubs in the Champions League like Bayern Munich and Dortmund always seem to go far in the competition. Some people may say this is because they have a very talented squad, so the likely hood is they are going to go far in it, but surely having a break and coming back fresh and full of energy is only a good thing for the team.
It seems that English clubs more than any other Countries clubs, struggle with injuries. For the last couple of seasons Arsenal have been famous for a player playing one game, then being out for ten games. But this season we've seen more and more clubs hit with the struggles of injuries like Manchester United, on more than one occasion having to field many players from their youth team because they don't have enough senior players fit enough to play. The Liverpool striker, Daniel Sturridge has been in and out due to injury so much this season, that some Liverpool fans have even called for him to be released from his contract, just because he has been so injury prone. Of course all players have the risk of getting a nick in whichever country they play in, and for however long they play. But even a small break of a couple weeks would benefit clubs hugely, it could help prevent injuries from occurring so regularly, and help stop players from becoming so fatigued and running the risk of more time out.
The main reason for a winter break in this country is the weather. From amateur football all the way up to Premier League football, weather disrupts games and in many occasions stop games from taking place because of conditions like a water-logged pitch. Amateur football suffers from this massively, with some teams being unable to play for lengths of up to 8 weeks due to heavy rain. This means come April-May time, they could be playing football up to 3 times a week. Some people may be thinking that the more football the better, but in amateur football when you play football as a hobby and have to juggle a job with football, playing 3 games a week could be impossible when you have to work. So it could be the difference between a team succeeding in the league or failing. The weather and lack of a winter break could be a reason many of the top players like Messi and Ronaldo would rather play abroad where the weather is consistently good, and have a rest period during the festive season, than come to England and play in the poor weather and without any sort of break.
Carlisle United's pitch was completely submerged
by water due to the heavy rain
Manager of Manchester United, Louis Van Gaal has publically stated that not having a winter break in England is "Evil" and puts English clubs at a disadvantage when it comes to the Champions League. Perhaps that could be one of the reasons English clubs have been struggling when it comes to European games lately, our clubs are packed with talent, with the likes of Aguero, Hazard and Ozil, so surely there should be no excuse not to at least get to the latter stages of the competition. Obviously this isn't the only reason clubs have fallen short in Europe but when English clubs play the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, the players from the English clubs tend to look less energetic and enthusiastic, could this because they are drained of energy due to the lack of rest over the winter?
Of course there are some cons to having a winter break in this country. Firstly is simply the fans enjoyment, many fans enjoy the annual boxing match fixtures and the many other fixtures played over the festive period. I know that for a lot of fans, fixtures during this time of the year only adds to the enjoyment of Christmas and New Years and they wouldn't want it any different. But surely fans would want first and foremost their team to win big competitions like the Champions League, and having football played over the winter could decrease their chances. Another negative for having a winter break is the Capital One Cup. This competition is done and dusted by the end of February, some might be thinking if we did have a winter break what would happen to that? Its simple, just have it finish later on in the season along with the FA Cup.
A solution for this problem could be to just have 2-6 weeks off during the winter, for the players to relax and to help stop games from being postponed all the time. You could possibly extend the season to finish in late June instead of late May. I know especially in amateur football for some this wouldn't be a good thing, as they may also take part in other sports like Cricket which is played during the Summer, or they could have a family and this is their time to go on holiday, so they would miss games. Another possible solution is to not a winter break at all and play on 4G pitches. This would help keep football on during the winter, and stop games from being cancelled due to the weather. I can't think of many people that would want football to be played on 4G pitches, on the basis that football has always been played on real grass, and to start playing on an artificial surface would take the spirit out of the game, and wouldn't replicate the same sort of experience as playing on a real turf.
4G Surface
Benefits of a winter break
The many benefits of having a winter break can be seen especially when it comes to German football. The national team always perform well when it comes to Summer international tournaments such as, the World Cup and the Euros. This could be because they are fresher with the 6 week break they have mid-way through the season, when players at the clubs in England have to play a full 9-10 months of football with out a break. The German international team aren't the only ones that benefit from this, as the clubs in the Champions League like Bayern Munich and Dortmund always seem to go far in the competition. Some people may say this is because they have a very talented squad, so the likely hood is they are going to go far in it, but surely having a break and coming back fresh and full of energy is only a good thing for the team.
It seems that English clubs more than any other Countries clubs, struggle with injuries. For the last couple of seasons Arsenal have been famous for a player playing one game, then being out for ten games. But this season we've seen more and more clubs hit with the struggles of injuries like Manchester United, on more than one occasion having to field many players from their youth team because they don't have enough senior players fit enough to play. The Liverpool striker, Daniel Sturridge has been in and out due to injury so much this season, that some Liverpool fans have even called for him to be released from his contract, just because he has been so injury prone. Of course all players have the risk of getting a nick in whichever country they play in, and for however long they play. But even a small break of a couple weeks would benefit clubs hugely, it could help prevent injuries from occurring so regularly, and help stop players from becoming so fatigued and running the risk of more time out.
Bad weather means postponed games
The main reason for a winter break in this country is the weather. From amateur football all the way up to Premier League football, weather disrupts games and in many occasions stop games from taking place because of conditions like a water-logged pitch. Amateur football suffers from this massively, with some teams being unable to play for lengths of up to 8 weeks due to heavy rain. This means come April-May time, they could be playing football up to 3 times a week. Some people may be thinking that the more football the better, but in amateur football when you play football as a hobby and have to juggle a job with football, playing 3 games a week could be impossible when you have to work. So it could be the difference between a team succeeding in the league or failing. The weather and lack of a winter break could be a reason many of the top players like Messi and Ronaldo would rather play abroad where the weather is consistently good, and have a rest period during the festive season, than come to England and play in the poor weather and without any sort of break.
by water due to the heavy rain
Manager of Manchester United, Louis Van Gaal has publically stated that not having a winter break in England is "Evil" and puts English clubs at a disadvantage when it comes to the Champions League. Perhaps that could be one of the reasons English clubs have been struggling when it comes to European games lately, our clubs are packed with talent, with the likes of Aguero, Hazard and Ozil, so surely there should be no excuse not to at least get to the latter stages of the competition. Obviously this isn't the only reason clubs have fallen short in Europe but when English clubs play the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, the players from the English clubs tend to look less energetic and enthusiastic, could this because they are drained of energy due to the lack of rest over the winter?
Of course there are some cons to having a winter break in this country. Firstly is simply the fans enjoyment, many fans enjoy the annual boxing match fixtures and the many other fixtures played over the festive period. I know that for a lot of fans, fixtures during this time of the year only adds to the enjoyment of Christmas and New Years and they wouldn't want it any different. But surely fans would want first and foremost their team to win big competitions like the Champions League, and having football played over the winter could decrease their chances. Another negative for having a winter break is the Capital One Cup. This competition is done and dusted by the end of February, some might be thinking if we did have a winter break what would happen to that? Its simple, just have it finish later on in the season along with the FA Cup.
Solutions
A solution for this problem could be to just have 2-6 weeks off during the winter, for the players to relax and to help stop games from being postponed all the time. You could possibly extend the season to finish in late June instead of late May. I know especially in amateur football for some this wouldn't be a good thing, as they may also take part in other sports like Cricket which is played during the Summer, or they could have a family and this is their time to go on holiday, so they would miss games. Another possible solution is to not a winter break at all and play on 4G pitches. This would help keep football on during the winter, and stop games from being cancelled due to the weather. I can't think of many people that would want football to be played on 4G pitches, on the basis that football has always been played on real grass, and to start playing on an artificial surface would take the spirit out of the game, and wouldn't replicate the same sort of experience as playing on a real turf.
4G Surface
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