I've said it before . . .

[gabbas]

A winter break would make no difference, when do you do it ? Only 3 or 4 years back November was wiped out because of snow! So then what ? We cancel January as well? Financially we are better off and it's a massive tradition a time for mates to get together, old fans , lapsed fans. Boxing Day is a must.

[Quaker0006]

A winter break would make no difference, when do you do it ? Only 3 or 4 years back November was wiped out because of snow! So then what ? We cancel January as well? Financially we are better off and it's a massive tradition a time for mates to get together, old fans , lapsed fans. Boxing Day is a must.

Exactly. What if you assign a 2/3 week period for the break when the weather is good, to be followed by poor weather when it restarts.

[Darlogramps]

A winter break would make no difference, when do you do it ? Only 3 or 4 years back November was wiped out because of snow! So then what ? We cancel January as well? Financially we are better off and it's a massive tradition a time for mates to get together, old fans , lapsed fans. Boxing Day is a must.

My point exactly. Tradition is another way of saying "the way it's always been done." Nothing should be done because it's "tradition," in my opinion.

Other countries manage without Boxing Day fixtures. At the very least, making players play two games in three days, or four games in a fortnight over Christmas/New Year needs to end.

Players at all levels, Premier League to non-league, would be less fatigued and less likely to pick up injuries if there weren't as many games.

"Financially we are better off" - well we're not this season. We haven't played a home game over Christmas and have a fundraising drive coming up because we're short of cash. Blows the "financially better off" argument out of the water.

I'd say hold the break from mid-December, and start again in the first week of January, again like most other countries.

[Darlogramps]

A winter break would make no difference, when do you do it ? Only 3 or 4 years back November was wiped out because of snow! So then what ? We cancel January as well? Financially we are better off and it's a massive tradition a time for mates to get together, old fans , lapsed fans. Boxing Day is a must.

Exactly. What if you assign a 2/3 week period for the break when the weather is good, to be followed by poor weather when it restarts.

"If" is the key word here. What if you have the break and the weather is bad, and it improves straight after the break?

And it's not purely about having a break when the weather is worst, which, I agree with you, cannot be predicted. It's about giving players a break - particularly at our level when they're working "other" jobs as well.

A winter break for Premier teams is to "help" them and the national team to compete better in tournaments. A winter break at our level is to avoid weather postponements - good luck with that one

A poor simplification - you're capable of a better, more complex argument than that.

[Henley]

We would then have to reduce the wage budget since we would lose out on 8 games income

The wage budget would obviously be reduced - the players wouldn't be working as much!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't most of the players contracted? They don't receive money on a match basis, rather a steady weekly /monthly amount?

Also from a selfish point of view it dilutes what is our greatest asset - our financial power to compete in each of the leagues so far due to our fan base.

I'm suggesting changes for the betterment of the whole of football in England.

As you've admitted, you're just selfish.

[Henley]

A winter break would make no difference, when do you do it ? Only 3 or 4 years back November was wiped out because of snow! So then what ? We cancel January as well? Financially we are better off and it's a massive tradition a time for mates to get together, old fans , lapsed fans. Boxing Day is a must.

Exactly. What if you assign a 2/3 week period for the break when the weather is good, to be followed by poor weather when it restarts.

I didn't suggest a 3 week break - I suggested no football between the end of October and the start of March.

[gabbas]

What about when it gets to hot and the pitches are too dry to play on? What about the World Cup? European cup etc ?

[OHDFC]

Not in favour of a summer season - it's the veterans season in Germany and doesn't feel quite right (İ know, not a real argument). İ prefer the winter break option - there's a five week break here for the professional leagues but three months for the amateurs (end of November to end of February) which pretty much removes postponements.

And as stated above, leagues are usually a maximum of twenty teams and there's usually only one cup (played midweek) meaning the fixtures can be easily completed without a load of midweek games. The amateur season starts a month or so before the professionals (mid July) but completes at the same time (end of April) and there are only about four midweek league games, usually played at either end of the season when the weather is better and the evenings are light.

İt seems to work quite well

[Henley]

What about when it gets to hot and the pitches are too dry to play on? What about the World Cup? European cup etc ?

When it gets too hot? Think before you type. This is England not Qatar. We have hosted WCs and Euros in the 'searing heat of summer' before so I think we can play league football too. Anyway, 5pm or 7pm would become the new 3pm.

WC and Euros can be played anytime.

Plus less time devoted in the summer to the dullest of sports, cricket.

[Beano]

Not in favour of a summer season - it's the veterans season in Germany and doesn't feel quite right (İ know, not a real argument). İ prefer the winter break option - there's a five week break here for the professional leagues but three months for the amateurs (end of November to end of February) which pretty much removes postponements.

And as stated above, leagues are usually a maximum of twenty teams and there's usually only one cup (played midweek) meaning the fixtures can be easily completed without a load of midweek games. The amateur season starts a month or so before the professionals (mid July) but completes at the same time (end of April) and there are only about four midweek league games, usually played at either end of the season when the weather is better and the evenings are light.

İt seems to work quite well

The Germans do it very well.

[Darlogramps]

What about when it gets to hot and the pitches are too dry to play on? What about the World Cup? European cup etc ?

World Cups/ Euros could be played in the winter easily. The types of pitches used (i.e. those from the higher level clubs) are better - you rarely hear of Premier League/Ligue 1/ Bundesliga etc games being postponed in the winter time.

And FIFA are moving the Qatar World Cup to winter, so tournament timing is not that much of an issue.

As for pitches being too dry, Henley pretty much sums up the counter argument.

Again, I'll cite the Women's Super League (played March to October) as an example. There were no issues in terms of pitches being too hard or dry reported in the last two seasons.

[shawry]

Not sure how many fans would be lost to cricket, but it is a consideration

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

[joejaques]

What about when it gets to hot and the pitches are too dry to play on? What about the World Cup? European cup etc ?

When it gets too hot? Think before you type. This is England not Qatar. We have hosted WCs and Euros in the 'searing heat of summer' before so I think we can play league football too. Anyway, 5pm or 7pm would become the new 3pm.

WC and Euros can be played anytime.

Plus less time devoted in the summer to the dullest of sports, cricket.

You've obviously not been watching Big Ben ringing bells in SA.

[BUSHEAD]

Another reason would be pitch maintenance - esp given our hopefully forthcoming situation sharing with a rugby club.

When will the pitch ever get chance to recover ?

[HarryCharltonsCat]

Vast majority of clubs in the country haven't had a problem with postponed games (to any greater extent than normal). In fact, most clubs in our league haven't. We happen to play on a pitch that, alongside Braintree, must have the worst drainage system in the country. Had we Blyth's pitch, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

I think the fear with summer football is that their are more alternative distractions for fans than in winter months, so you might lose a few. Plus Sky rule the game, and they won't want Premier League in the summer for the same reasons.

[Darlo_Pete]

In theory with global warming, it should be easier not to lose games to the cold. Unfortunately it also looks like meaning we'll have to deal with more rainfall. I'm not a fan of summer football. But look at Rugby League that was always played over the winter and it has now successfully changed to a sport played over the summer months. So never say never.