THE Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) will feature regular Sunday football matches throughout the holiday season, with some local top flight clubs welcoming the ongoing activity during the festive period.

A full slate of matches is set for today and the usual Monday Night live televised fixture is scheduled tomorrow.

In leagues in many countries on the European mainland, winter break is forced due to the normally extreme cold and intense snow conditions.

But Andrew Price, the head coach of Boys’ Town FC, noted that playing football during the Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year holiday period is not uncommon in some other places around the globe.

He made mention of the lucrative Premier League in England which does not pause during the period and, in fact, has quite a hectic schedule that can sometimes see teams playing as many as three games in less than a week.

“We have to get in these games during the Christmas period. And basically it’s really just playing games on Sunday. I don’t think it’s too difficult for the clubs because people get their Christmas holiday, but then it’s back to business right after that,” Price told the Jamaica Observer.

“If you look at leagues across the world, even in the English Premier League, one of their busiest schedules is during the Christmas period so we have to condition players to get them ready to go through this period.

“They [players] sometimes partake a lot, but we just have to be mindful and know it’s a regular preparation week and they take the two days off and then report back to camp. Managers and coaches have to impress it on the players,” he continued.

The local organisers have had to contend with a break when the country hosted the recent Caribbean Cup and another with the upcoming CONCACAF Under-20 Championship. Suspected cases of the chikungunya virus also had an impact, rampaging through most of the teams to cause numerous match postponements.

“In light of the schedule of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), it was necessary to go through the Christmas period. In January we have the CONCACAF Under-20 here in Jamaica so definitely the league will have to take a break,” explained Price, who is also general manager of the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA).

The general manager of Harbour View FC Clyde Jureidini backs the playing of games during the holiday season and suggested that an introduction of Boxing Day games could ignite significant public interest.

“Football is entertainment and a lot of Jamaicans [based overseas] come home for the holidays and would love to see a game. It’s good that we have games on Sunday and on Monday night. In some countries there is a long break for the winter season.

“Some play, as in the case of the Premier League [in England], throughout the season. I don’t think we need to play as often as that, but it would be good to have a Boxing Day game as a part of the entertainment. There is a culture we have to go on a break and then return before the New Year starts. It’s a nice balance, but I wouldn’t mind if there was a game on Boxing Day,” stressed Jureidini.

Nigel Stewart, the head coach of Sporting Central Academy, said he prefers at least a week and a half break, but he cautioned that too long a time-off for players can have a negative impact.

“Any long break is a concern. You want them [the players] to have some fun, but… after a long break they’d be back to square one. The long break gives time to eat and drink and come back almost unfit. Perhaps there can be a one weekend break and you restart the Wednesday. I don’t think too long of a break is good, but maybe a week and a half is ideal,” said Stewart.

The JFF general secretary Raymond Grant expressed the importance of providing a spectacle for football-loving fans during the holiday season, but conceded that there is more than one way to look at such a move.

“Depending on which side you are looking at it (as) there are arguments at both ends. One could argue that the holiday season requires some level of peace and relaxation. However, the footballing public is also asking for something through the period that they can look towards and the [Red Stripe] Premier League is one of the sporting activities throughout the landscape,” said the JFF executive.