The origin of the Boxing Day holiday goes back a long way. The downstairs staff would get the day off after serving their masters and guests on Christmas day. One version is that the staff would get their Christmas bonus, still known by some in the UK as the “Christmas Box”.
Where ever the name comes from there have been football games on boxing day for many years. Starting with the first year of the league in 1888 when Preston North End‘s beat Derby County 5-0. By the way, Preston North End went on to win the first League championship.
Ever since then there have been a full list of Boxing Day fixtures. Typically they are local derby games, while Woking played Farnborough, 20 miles away Chelsea took on West London rivals Fulham.
Woking have been averaging 1400ish so far this year, yesterday they had a crowd of just over 3000. Clearly Boxing Day fixtures are seen by many as an excuse to get out the house for a few hours. And perhaps take the chance to swap leftover turkey for a pie and a pint in the pub before hand.
Until the late ‘50’s if Christmas Day fell on a Saturday there would be Christmas Day-Boxing Day double headers.
A little research turned up one remarkable Boeing Day that has a certain level of infamy, 1963. There were 39 league games scheduled that day, and they produced 157 goals between them.
Fulham beat Ipswich 10-1, Liverpool thrashed Stoke 6-1, West Ham hosted Blackburn and the visitors won 8-2. No one at those games wondered if they got their moneys worth.
As wonderful as Football on Boxing Day is, on the other side of the world there is another notable game that deserves to be mentioned. The Boxing Day test in Melbourne, if I could go to only one England test match for the rest of my life this would be the one. Over 100,000 people packed into the MCG for perhaps the most anticipated cricket match of the year.
Last year it all went rather well for England, that’s not always been the case. In a world of superlatives I think it’s safe to call the 2010 annihilation of Australia remarkable. Going into the game the Ashes series was tied at 1 game each. England won the toss, put Australia into bat and then put them to the sword by bowling them out for 98 runs. It was 47 for 8 at one point and Australia never recovered. England went on to win the series 4-1, marvelous stuff that is already part of Barmy army (the traveling England cricket supporters group) lore.
England have been on the receiving end of thrashings in the Boxing Day test, and that makes last years all that much more enjoyable. There will be a time when Australia are once again in the ascendancy, and England supporters will live on memories of England’s destructive swing bowling.
Going to football yesterday with the old people was a treat, it would have been nice to have sprung my brother from dinner with his in-laws. Maybe next year he can join us in being part of a tradition that goes back many, many years. And that makes it a little special.
Related articles
- Boxing Day – The Day After (listentomethunder.wordpress.com)
- Boxing Day (daisydonut.wordpress.com)
5 Comments
Thanks, nice writing/ Daggers are my local team, and they made it thorugh non=league into League-2. Woking look like they will be a step closer next year and are leading Conferance south.
thanks for the history post, there are a lot of things to learn about the world, and traditions like boxing day are interesting
Its wonderful, as are your other blog posts : D, appreciate it for putting up.
dave, thianks for sharing, I’ve read through some of your blog and it’s clear that not only do you love the game, but you follow it with a depth and knowledge. I don’t have the same traditions obviously, but I think you for sharing yours and your love for the game.
It’s made me a better fan of the beautiful game.
Right now it appears like WordPress is the best blogging platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?