IN THE AGE of satellite television, a very modern Christmas Day tradition for Irish families has sprung up whereby they settle into an evening of Gaviscon, chocolates, hooch and a gawk at American football and basketball.
This year, you can watch the Kansas City Chiefs host the LA Raiders. Or the blue-collar feel of Philadelphia Eagles having the New York Giants over to pull turkey wishbones. In basketball, the Milwaukee Bucks will be off to the New York Knicks, while the Denver Nuggets will be pulling crackers with the Golden State Warriors.
The NBA is arranged in such a way that the last four champions meet each other on 25 December. The most famous sporting fixture on Christmas Day is undoubtedly the truce in 1914, when men from 1st Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers played a soccer match against the German Battalion 371. The Germans might have won that battle, but don’t mention the war.
Around that time, soccer matches in the English leagues were frequently played over the festive period. Incredibly, it was common for games to be played three days in a row, or else nearby teams playing their home and away fixtures on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
For example, Liverpool hosted Manchester City on Christmas Day, 1913 and won 4-2. They lost the return a day later before drawing with Blackburn a day after that, 3-3.
Everton once played three games in two days. On Christmas morning 1888 they played a Lancashire Cup game against Blackburn Park Road, following that with a friendly against Ulster FC. The following day, because there’s no way Toffees players and supporters had enough soccer by then, they togged out for a friendly against Bootle.
By the 1950s, the tradition was waning with public transport workers getting the day off. The last place it stubbornly remained was in Blackpool just into the ‘60s as entertainment for holiday makers.
The idea of competitive sport in Ireland on Christmas Day though, is an alien concept. Sure, you have a number of charity fundraising Goal Mile runs. A Christmas swim perhaps. But nothing where there’s much on the line.
Apart from, of course, one game: The Steel and Sons Cup final. Played in Belfast between mid-ranking quality teams, the final takes place on Monday, at Seaview, the home of Crusaders with kick-off at 10.45am.
The only time it doesn’t take place on Christmas Day is if that falls on a Sunday. Couldn’t be having that!
The ‘Steel Cup’ trophy was donated to the County Antrim FA in 1895 by Mr David Steel. Steel was principal of Steel & Sons Ltd, wholesale jewellers, silversmiths, cutlers, watch-makers and opticians, with premises on Royal Avenue, Belfast.
This year, wide-eyed Crumlin Star have made it to the final for the very first time. The competition has been running since 1895 and final opponents Comber Rec have won it before, back in 1991. The Star’s 38-year-old midfield schemer Barry McKervey felt these days were beyond him.
He had been a club stalwart of long service, but was under the impression that his son Barry’s games would be on a Saturday this year. So he reluctantly retired at the end of last season.
When it transpired he had his Saturday afternoons free, he would go along to watch ‘The Star.’ The manager Paul ‘Chew’ Trainor let his old buddy stew on the sideline for a few weeks before telling him to come back. McKervey was delighted.
This is no dud league, by the way. It is an intermediate league with most players playing with a semi-pro arrangement. At the end of last summer, manager Trainor recruited the former Cliftonville and Glentoran manager Eddie Patterson to help out with coaching.
“I was free on Saturdays and it was killing me, going along to watch. So he asked me back and thankfully I did,” McKervey explains. “I used to play left wing, but for the last three, four years I have been playing central midfield.”
With ‘The Star,’ he has won two Intermediate Cups, the Border Cup and the Clarence Cup.
“But this is the one that everybody wants,” he smiles. “The Intermediate Cup is probably the hardest one to win. You would have all the Championship teams in that, not just amateur teams. And we have won the Intermediate Cup twice in the last few years.
“But we have been beaten twice in the semi-finals of the Steel and Sons. Just hopefully go one step further now and win it.”
No, he hasn’t been to a final. He’s not mad. But plenty of spectators do. Last year’s final got a crowd of 2,714 to see Bangor beat Dunmurry.
“Our manager has won it as a player and he always talks about it, saying it is one of the best cup finals you will ever play in at an amateur level,” says McKervey.
“But it’s Christmas morning, which is something completely different for all of us. I cannot see anyone being tempted though! There’s pints and staff dos and all that to get past yet.
“We have been in big games before and we know how to prepare for finals and we are telling ourselves that this is no different than any of the rest.
“But there will be no drinking until after the final. But if we win it, you will be out for a few days!”
He adds, “I think among our team and our manager, there is a real buzz about us. We are like wee kids at Christmas and have something to look forward to apart from the usual.
“It definitely will be strange. Everything is thrown up in the air with your usual Christmas routine.”
Before Steel and Sons final duty, Santa will be visiting the McKervey home, with Noah, 8, particularly excited. But it will be into the green jerseys afterwards to shout for their team. Worse ways to spend the day.