Sport and Santa – as traditional as turkey and tinsel, Entertainment

Boxing Day has long been associated with sport but why is that? December 26^th is the feast day of Saint Stephen, the patron saint of horses, which could be why Boxing Day has come to be associated with horse racing.

Boxing Day Football

The Premier League and Football League offers its usual helping of fixtures on Boxing Day with another full programme of games to follow on Tuesday. There are often shocks at this time of year so there could be some interesting developments in the Premier League title race.

This year Boxing Day falls on a Monday but in 1860 it fell on a Wednesday and it was on that day at Sandygate Road, the world’s oldest and second oldest clubs, Halam FC and Sheffield FC, played the first ever inter-city match, a 2-0 victory for Sheffield, the senior side, who prevailed despite fielding fewer men.

This Years’ Boxing Day Football Fixtures

There are many fixtures on Boxing Day this year including:

Tottenham v Brighton (12:30pm)
Bournemouth v Arsenal (3:00pm)
Aston Villa v Norwich (3:00pm)
Chelsea v Southampton (3:00pm)
Crystal Palace v West Ham (3:00pm)
Everton v Burnley (3:00pm)
Sheffield United v Watford (3:00pm)
Manchester United v Newcastle (5:30pm)
Leicester v Liverpool (8:00pm)

LIVE Boxing Day Football at Alberts

Our hotel pub will be showing the games.

Kempton Park races

The King George VI chase takes place on Boxing Day and is one of the most thrilling races in the calendar. It is often a good indication of which horses to look out for in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 3 miles (4,828 metres), and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped.

The King George VI Chase is now the second most prestigious chase in England, surpassed only by the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Fourteen horses have won it more than once, Desert Orchid has won it four times and Kauto Star has won it five times.

Boxing Day Test Match Cricket

The Boxing Day Test match is a cricket Test match held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia involving the Australian cricket team and an opposing national team which is touring Australia that summer. It begins annually on Boxing Day (26 December) and is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). This year the Commonwealth Bank Boxing Day Test will be between Australia v New Zealand.