Do footballers train on Christmas Day in the Premier League and EFL?

Most leagues in Europe have a one or two-week winter break around Christmas, when matches are paused and training schedules lightened.

But festive football has been an ironclad British institution for decades. And that means that, yes, most professional footballers will be training on Christmas Day.

“When you have your kids there playing with their new toys and you have to go training, that is a big sacrifice. It’s not about money – it’s just human nature,” former Sheffield United, Tottenham and Fulham midfielder Michael Brown told the BBC.

With matches in the top-flight divisions in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland all scheduled for Boxing Day – as well as in the English lower leagues – a Christmas Day training session is the final opportunity managers have to help players maintain their fitness and work on a gameplan.

Festive photos featuring players wearing Santa hats and reindeer noses are often posted online by clubs who are training on Christmas Day.

Christmas Day sessions for teams playing at home on Boxing Day typically take place in the morning or early afternoon, before players go home to spend time with family later in the day.

But if a team is playing away from home on Boxing Day then things become more complicated.

Clubs often stay over at a hotel the night before away matches, especially in the case of an early kick-off time or a long distance to travel, meaning a coach journey or flight followed by a night in a hotel is common.