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Easter was traditionally a pivotal weekend in English football – a nerve-jangling time when title races were often won or lost.
However, Premier League fans will be denied the chance to witness such drama this weekend, with the quarter-finals of the FA Cup taking centre stage.
One of the most iconic weekends in the fixture calendar has been covertly phased out in the top flight, which is undoubtedly a sad state of affairs.
Fans hoping to see the Premier League winners crowned during a hectic Easter weekend will now have to wait a few weeks for the outcome.
The absence of Premier League fixtures over the next few days is a sad state of affairs and an issue that should be addressed as a matter of urgency.
History shows why Easter matters
“Easter, like Christmas, is a trying time for the Association footballer,” the Guardian wrote in 1928.
“Between [Good Friday] and next Tuesday, nearly every league club will have contested three games and engaged in a series of railway journeys that are sometimes as wearying as a match itself.
“The Easter rush is also a much more exciting business than that at Christmas, for it is the crisis in which championships, promotions and relegations are often finally decided.”
Their words proved prophetic, with Huddersfield Town imploding over the Easter weekend in 1928 to hand Everton the title. The Terriers haven’t won a major trophy since.
History is littered with other examples of Easter’s importance. Manchester United’s First Division title success in 1956/57 was fuelled by three victories over the weekend.
In the same season, two victories for Portsmouth over Cardiff City saved their top-flight status and sent the Bluebirds into the second tier.
Top-flight teams were still playing three games in four days over Easter in 1978/79, but this was quietly removed from the calendar without much fanfare.
Intriguingly, the Premier League era has evidenced why reintroducing a packed Easter schedule would add an exciting new dynamic to the top flight.
Classic encounters highlight the importance of Easter
While Easter’s importance has diminished since the Premier League was launched, there have been a handful of examples in which the weekend proved pivotal.
Man United played two games in five days over Easter in 1998, the second of which was a damaging 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Old Trafford.
The draw put United seven points clear of second-placed Arsenal, who had four games in hand. The Gunners capitalised to claim top spot.
Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea in 2008 scuppered their hopes of emerging victorious in a three-way title race involving Man United.
United (2010) and Arsenal (2023) are amongst the other title-chasing teams that suffered damaging results over the Easter weekend.
However, in each of the aforementioned cases, none of the teams involved had to contend with the overly packed Easter schedules of yesteryear.
Opponents of reintroducing such jeopardy will argue that player wellbeing would be compromised if the Premier League headed down that route.
However, given the size of the squads at their disposal, that argument has little merit.
Some traditions are worth preserving
The late-season Easter showdown is an English football tradition which should have been preserved.
Sky Sports must take some responsibility for its removal from the calendar, having placed greater importance on the final weekend of the season.
They are unquestionably missing a trick. Three rounds of fixtures packed into four days over a holiday weekend would be a dream development for broadcasters.
While players and managers would no doubt bleat about the strain it would place on them, traditionalists would be in their element.
Easter weekend 2026 will be a key step in determining this season’s FA Cup winners, with a new champion set to be crowned after Crystal Palace’s early exit.
However, the FA Cup does not belong on Easter weekend. Some traditions are worth preserving – a packed Easter schedule in the top flight is one of them.
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What to watch
The battle to qualify for the Championship play-offs continues apace today. Hull City, Wrexham and Derby County all face tricky away games – squeaky bum time is here.
