The Premier League is considering bringing in a winter break between 2019 and 2022, ahead of the upcoming sale of domestic TV rights for the period.
In a statement released to The Times, the Premier League confirmed the plans.
They said: “The Premier League has been in discussions with the FA and EFL regarding the challenges of the increasingly congested English football calendar, and ways in which we can ease congestion while also giving players a mid-season break.
“Provided space can be found, we are open to this in principle and will continue talks with our football stakeholders to seek a solution.”
Countries like Germany, France, Italy and Spain already have a winter break. They usually take it around Christmas and New Year. However, according to the BBC article on the subject, the break wouldn’t take place over the festive period. Instead English football would take it in January.
In my opinion, this would be a great idea, provided it doesn’t cause mass congestion elsewhere in the calendar.
Every year, we see players struggle to adapt to joining the Premier League when they reach New Year. Then we watch all the English clubs crash out of the Champions League not long afterwards.
If a winter break would allow players to transition to English football more smoothly, and give the Premier League teams a better chance in Europe, I can’t see the downside. Previously, most of the concerns revolved around losing the traditional festive fixtures. Since that no longer seems to be an issue, I’m all for it.
As I said earlier, the Premier League would need to plan it well to avoid further congestion. They can’t just shove the matches in between already existing fixtures. Extending the season by a week or so is the ideal answer for me.
Other Arsenal fans aren’t quite as keen with around half being against the break.
Simple question for you today – January break in the Premier League, yes or no?
— Daily Cannon (@DailyCannon) February 6, 2018