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Christmas is full of grand traditions, it’s what makes the festive season the most wonderful time of the year.
However, away from the presents under the tree and your favourite turkey dinner, football isn’t short of it’s own traditions, too.
We are all accustomed to games on Boxing Day, players visiting local hospitals and even the tales from club’s Christmas parties, but they aren’t the only annual festivities.
MailSport looks at some of the best football club Christmas traditions….
Football fans traditionally get into the festive spirit across the games over the festive period
Cuddly Christmas
Fans of Spanish side Real Betis embrace the charitable side of the festive season, by annually donating cuddly toys to disadvantage children.
The tradition started in 2018 and it sees supporters rain soft toys down onto the Estadio Benito Villamarin pitch for volunteers to collect and then donate so local children in need still have a gift for Christmas.
This year, it saw supporters of the La Liga team make their donation during half time of Betis’ of their 1-1 draw with Real Madrid earlier this month as 1400 toys were thrown from the stands.
Posting on their social media feed, the club shared a video of the fans throwing their chosen toys onto the pitch with the caption ‘This more the
Real Betis fans throw cuddly toys onto the pitch in a Christmas tradition going back to 2008
The toys are taken by volunteers and given to local children in need as Christmas presents
All together now
Where better to sing your favourite Christmas carol then surrounded by thousands of German football fans? That’s exactly what German second division club Union Berlin have done since 2003 and is now an annual Christmas tradition.
Fans flock to the An der Alten Foersterei Stadium, in the Kopenick neighbourhood of the German capital, on the last night before the Germans celebrate Christmas and fill the cold air with festive tunes.
Thousands of fans flock to Union Berlin’s stadium for a traditional Christmas carol concert
Music is provided by volunteer fans and local school choirs to get everyone feeling festive
The event has been since been mimicked by other clubs in the country, but Union Berlins remains the original after it was started by a group of fans who broke into the stadium and started a mini concert to cheer themselves up during the holidays.
Now, twenty years later, 30,000 people turn up to the concert with music provided by school choirs and instruments played by local volunteers.
Christmas Ballers
This is a relatively new tradition at Championship side QPR, but their annual Bauble Challenge has given fans of the West London club some festive cheer when at times there hasn’t been much else to smile about.
The premise? Pretty simple. The R’s social team round a gaggle of first team players and challenge them to see how many kick-ups they can do with a Christmas bauble.
Starting in 2014, previous winners include Eberechi Eze and Jimmy Dunne, but this year’s victor was forward Ilias Chair.
The Moroccan managed 84 keepy-uppies in an impressive performance from the Rangers man.
QPR’s Ilias Chair gets to grips with Rangers annual Bauble Challenge at the training ground
Magic of the cup
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a slap-up turkey dinner, and down at Stockport County they’ve come up with the perfect festive football dish – Christmas dinner in a cup!
The special Christmas treat was the talk of Edgeley Park last year and so the club brought it back for 2023, along with some other yummy-looking Christmassy grub.
For £4.50 fans were able to pick up a cup dripping in gravy and rammed with all favourtie trimmings, including roast turkey, pigs in blanket, mash potato, gravy, stuffing, and a even a Brussel sprout.
The mouth-watering Christmas in a Cup was served at Stockport County this festive season
That wasn’t all, the club also introduced Loaded Roasties to the menu, with gravy and cheese sauce, cranberry sauce, turkey, bacon bits and stuffing.
Jonathan Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer for Stockport County said: ‘After seeing the love Christmas Dinner in a cup got from our fans and people across social media, there was no question, we had to bring the festive favourite back to celebrate the County Courtyard’s first birthday. It brings festive cheer and warms the souls of County fans on what’s typically one of the coldest weekends of the year.’
Jumpers for joy
Like them or not, the novelty Christmas jumper has become a symbol of the season in recent years, and football hasn’t missed the trick.
Club shops are never shy in flogging any Christmas related club swag this time of year and so the official jumper has suddenly become the ‘must have’ buy of the holidays.
Jack Grealish recreates his treble-winning pose whilst sporting a Man City Christmas jumper
Man United’s choice of the season has a more subtle and traditional feel to its latest design
Gabriel Jesus and Laura Wienroither pose in this year’s Arsenal Christmas jumper selection
Depending on taste – and the jumper isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – designs come in different variations on mixing football and Christmas.
Some simply go for a classic design combining the usual images of the season with club names or badges.
However, others have upped the ante over the last couple of years and used classic kits as the basis of designs for their sweaters. Perfect attire to wear around the dinner table.
