A
two-week Premier League mid-season player break in February has been
approved to start from the 2019-20 season, the FA has announced.
The winter break ensures that Premier League matches will still be played
over the period, with five top-flight games to be staged on the first
weekend and five on the following weekend.
The FA has agreed to move FA Cup fifth-round matches to midweek in order to
accommodate the planned break and, from the start of the 2019-20 season,
fifth-round replays will be removed and replaced with extra-time and
penalties.
"This is a significant moment for English football and one that we believe
will greatly benefit both club and country," said Martin Glenn, chief
executive of the FA.
"It's no secret that we have a very congested fixture calendar and over
recent years we have been working with the whole game to find a solution.
"Today's announcement proves that football can come together for the good of
the game. We have also found a way to give the players a much needed
mid-season break, whilst keeping the much-loved Christmas schedule in place.
"As we head into summer international tournaments in the future we are sure
that this mid-season break will prove to be a valuable addition for our
players."
All three divisions in the EFL will remain unchanged during the winter
break, with a full fixture list for the 72 League teams.
"It has been useful to have these positive discussions over the last few
months and, as part of the conversations, we have been able to ensure that
our requirements could be incorporated within any changes," said Shaun
Harvey, chief executive of the EFL.
"We very much understand, and support, the requirement and wishes of our
colleagues across the game to introduce a mid-season player break.
"We hope it will provide the appropriate recovery time for players and have
the positive impact on player and team performance that it is designed to
deliver.
"At the same time we must acknowledge that fixture congestion remains a
challenge and with a 46-game season to complete, plus the play-offs inside a
10-month period, it is currently impractical even if it was desirable for
the EFL to introduce a similar break in our competitions.
"We will look to showcase the EFL during the two week period."
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