Initially matches were played both on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. For example, Derby County had home fixtures against Liverpool on the 25 December and Glossop on the 26 December in 1899. They won both, 3-2 and 4-1 respectively.

The tradition of two matches continued until the 1950s and the second was often the reverse of the first, so Chelsea v Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Christmas Day would be followed by Fulham v Chelsea at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day.

As the Christmas fixtures were usually “local derbies” they would often attract the biggest crowds of the season. Some people would watch their only match of the season at Christmas.

The last complete League programme on a Christmas Day took place in 1957. There were matches in 1959 between Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool in Division One and Coventry City and Wrexham in Division Three – and, in the last match of all, Blackpool beat Blackburn 4-2 in a Division One fixture at Bloomfield Road in 1965.

Christmas Day matches had continued at “amateur” level well into the 1960s. Hayes would meet local rivals Southall in the old Athenian League, for example.

Why did we stop?

People directly involved in the matches – players, coaches, administrators, referees etc – wanted to spend the day with their families. There were public transport issues too. Playing top-level fixtures on consecutive days was tough for players. It would be unthinkable now.

Are footballers obliged to play on Christmas Day?

FA Rule B5 states:

(a) A Participant cannot be compelled to play football on bona fide occasions where religious observance precludes such activity, save where the Participant (i) has consented to do so on such occasions or (ii) is registered as a player under written contract, which shall be taken as consent to play on such occasions unless otherwise provided for in the contract.

(b) Annually, when planning programmes, Competitions shall define and notify agreed dates of such occasions.

The Christmas truce

On the first Christmas Day of the First World War British troops took on the Germans at football during an unofficial truce. The Germans allegedly won, but as they were playing in a cratered no-man’s land near Armentieres, France, it would barely have been recognisable as a football match.