Boxing Day Football – An Inside Look

‘Tis the season to be jolly as the holiday cheer is upon us. The festive joy that accompanies the end of the year and this time the decade itself, is felt across the globe. Even as the vast populace embarks on their vacations and settles down for a well-earned break, the object of their entertainment at this time is restless.

Sports is often in full fledge during the holiday season and when it comes to English football that is most evident in the fixture-laden period of late December. At the same time, this sense of community comes at a cost.

Betway Football sought to get an inside-taste on the raw reality behind this period in a documentary that focuses on how Norwich City players, support staff and the fans deal with and think about the festive fixtures.

Players featured include the likes of Onel Hernandez, Sam Byram, and Tom Trybull.

In particular, the piece explores the Boxing Day fixture that falls on December 26, a mere day after Christmas.

The holiday cheer and getting together with family is often paired with a hearty meal and adding a few delicious pounds. However, the looming fixture within hours of the celebratory fixture means that some of the players are very conscious about what and how much they eat.

Grant Holt was clearly not of the same opinion as he comments: “If I wanted the starter, I’d have the starter, if I wanted the main, I’d have the main, if I wanted the dessert, I’d have two!”

On the other side, Norwich City’s first-team operations manager Jonny Martin didn’t mince words about how hectic the period was and how it often meant sacrificing family time.

The fans featured, however, maintained that it all came together in a special manner. The blend of football and Christmas is quite evidently a rewarding time of unity and in many ways that appears to be the best take on the festive spirit.