Boxing Day? What’s that you ask? Boxing Day isn’t something that is necessarily celebrated everywhere in the States, but you will find that many other English speaking countries like Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia certainly participate. Boxing Day comes on the day immediately after Christmas Day, so you can finally let that festive buzz die down a little, but get ready for some sport-filled fun! Some may refer to the day as St. Stephens day, a day named after the first Christian martyr. The day wasn’t celebrated by puritans, however, which is why you may not have heard of it. So how does soccer come into relevance here?
Well, there are no soccer games on Christmas day to allow all the players to spend time with their families. This is tough on us though! What could be better than sitting around a table with all your family followed by a game of your beloved sports team? Luckily there is a solution. The day after Christmas. This day, is a day filled with soccer. The soccer never stops, every team plays, it consumes your whole day! So how do we get started?
Boxing Day Bonanza: How To Enjoy Premier League Soccer With Your Buddies
The Games
Historically, the majority of the games were played at the same time to increase suspense and enjoyment, but in more recent years we have seen the bulk of the games played at the same time in the middle of the day, with one in the slot beforehand and one in the slot after. This only allows us to watch even more soccer. This year, the same policy occurs, except another game in the slot after the post-bulk games! The only exception is Manchester United vs Newcastle, which will be played on the 27th this year as a result of many COVID-19 cases causing the postponement of games. Nevertheless, we still have a significant cluster of Premier League fixtures on our hands! With some spicy battles, too.
The Running Order
Better get up bright and early! The games usually kick off at 3pm in the U.K., where of course the games are actually played. Honestly though, it could be a lot worse. For these game times we’re talking US (EST) time, and it isn’t half bad. We suggest you wake up at 9.30, to ensure that you are ready for a 10am start. We begin with four tasty fixtures, Manchester City vs Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace, West Ham United vs Southampton and Norwich City vs Arsenal. These games are all being played simultaneously on PEAC, NBCU, NBCS and PEAC (Peacock), so you will need to select your game of choice. We would have to say that City vs Leicester certainly seems like the pick of the games, and thankfully most of these channels tend to show goals in other games at the bottom corner of your screen, so don’t worry about missing out.
The subsequent fixture is Aston Villa vs Chelsea, a big one. Chelsea have been in mixed form recently, ending their winning-streak by recording some draws and losses. Having also been affected by positive COVID-19 cases, Chelsea could succumb to a Steven Gerrard-inspired Aston Villa side in good form.
The day ends with Brighton vs Brentford, a game that could go two ways. The first is full of goals in a 3-3 thriller, with the second simply being a 0-0 bore draw. Both sides have struggled at times with defending and scoring, so it could really go either way.
For The Dedicated Fans
For the real dedicated fans, we recommend the four-screen masterclass option. This is simply where you put four screens side by side and play all games at once. It is even more enjoyable if you have a mixture of fans among your buddies watching, and if they’re playing each other- the rivalries get fierce!
You could even do it British style and visit a pub/sports bar for the day. This is simply a day of continuing that fun festive feel, drinking beer with your pals, watching soccer and having a good time. After all, we need to keep up the good spirits in the run up to the new year. Will your Prem team come out on top? Possibly. Will your team beat your buddy’s? Maybe. Will it be a fun day filled with beer and good times? Certainly.