Christmas comes with a packed fixture list and we have a lot of games to be played over the Christmas period.
Up until the 1950s, Christmas Day was the main fixture of the season. In the 1940s, Christmas Day fixtures would bring crowds across the country of over 3.5 million.
Perhaps the most famous Christmas Day football of all was not an organised game at all, but part of the brief Christmas truce on First World War battlefields in 1914, when soldiers from both sides left their trenches and greeted each other in ‘no man’s land’.
That ‘fixture’ had a real element of the first Christmas fixture of over 2000 years ago, which has a “replay” ever year in carols and readings and nativities. The story is of a child coming to earth to bring, hope, love, joy and peace in a dark world.
It is worth a look at the account of that first Christmas fixture again as you all enjoy Christmas with your family and friends.
Here at Bolton Wanderers, we have been very busy out in the community giving gifts that we hope make a real difference to people’s lives over the 12 days and beyond.
Our first-team, members of our women’s team and community team have been out and about visiting Bolton Hospice, Derian House Children’s Hospice and The Royal Bolton Hospital giving gifts for Christmas.
The community team has been working with Urban Outreach, packing and distributing much-needed food parcels for those who need it the most, along with a delivery of ‘Christmas dinner on Jesus’ - a whole Christmas day in a box.
Bolton Wanderers Former Players’ Association, under the guidance of ‘Super’ John McGinlay, has also distributed over 100 Christmas Hampers into the community.
For our game on the fifth day of Christmas, in partnership with Bolton Council and Bolton at Home, we shall welcome over 400 children and families to the game as part of our Holiday Activity a Food programme (HAF) to bring some festive cheer.
At this game we are also asking you to bring a pound to the ground to go towards our work in the community.
With all the above, along with the Carol Service earlier this month, we hope you can see how the Club is playing a big part in the community and trying to offer something of the real reason for the season of spreading some love, hope and joy into a dark world.
We hope you can find that reason for the season, too, with your family and friends.
From all at Bolton Wanderers Football Club, a very Happy Christmas to you all.
Phil Mason
Club Chaplain and COO