English week
An English week is a week in which a football team has to play several games. The term was later adopted by other sports, for example ice hockey .
Origin of the term
The term “English week” originally goes back to the staging of three point games within a week, for example Sunday - Wednesday - Saturday. This designation was chosen because the clubs in English professional football in particular often had to play several times in a week - a custom that was adopted from cricket . A total of 20 clubs play in the English Premier League ; therefore there are four more match days to play than in the Bundesliga , in which 18 clubs play. In addition, two different cups ( FA Cup , League Cup ) are played. The term English week (or "English week") is not used in the English-speaking world itself, however, where one speaks of a three-game week. The term “English Week” is used in numerous non-English-speaking countries in the respective national language for the same subject. The Week of Football was introduced from the qualification for the 2016 European Championship . Here, a game day extends over three consecutive days. In the case of double game days, the games take place on six consecutive days.
“English week” in German football
Since the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963, the number of games to be played has risen sharply. Since the 1965/66 season, the Bundesliga has been played with 18 teams (with one exception in 1991/92 ) and no longer with 16 teams. The number of league games rose from 30 to 34. There are also up to six game days in the DFB Cup and the various European competitions . In the UEFA Champions League , the two finalists can expect a maximum of 13 season games, in the UEFA Europa League (until the 2009/2010 season UEFA Cup) a team plays up to 15 games per season. Often, however, clubs first have to qualify for the main round of the Champions League or Europa League through several qualifying games, which in extreme cases can mean up to eight more games. In order to be able to cope with these national and international club and international matches despite observing the breaks (winter break, summer break), Germany had to deviate from the previously usual form of playing football only on Saturdays.
Since the 2006/07 season, the nine games on a weekend game day in the Bundesliga have been spread over Friday (one game), Saturday (six games) and Sunday (two games). During the week (Tuesday to Thursday), the teams that have qualified for international competitions play in the Champions League or the Europa League. During the week there are sometimes championship games, national cup (DFB-Pokal) or national team games instead of international games .
In coordination between the national football associations and UEFA and FIFA , the framework game plan is drawn up, which coordinates the games in national and international club competitions with the competitions and games of the national teams. The German Football League sets the match days for the centrally organized professional leagues ( first , second , third league ) and the fourth-class regional leagues , i.e. which teams meet when. The specific schedule for the day of the match, i.e. whether an encounter takes place on Saturday or Sunday, is determined by the teams' further obligations. For example, a Bundesliga game by a Europa League participant is usually put on Sunday after a Europa League game, as the team only played internationally on Thursday and should not play another league game two days later, on Saturday . The television and security considerations on the part of the police also influence which games are played on which days.
In the German Bundesliga there are usually one to three "English weeks" per season with regular match days on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“English week” in ice hockey
Since two games per week are normal in ice hockey in Germany and Austria, the term English week is only used here if a team has to play at least three games per week. In the DEL or the ÖEL , the term is mostly used when, in addition to the weekend games, there is also a game day on Tuesday.
"English week" in handball
In handball , two games in a week are usually only common in the men's first handball league . In addition to the games on the weekend, the games are usually played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. The term “English Week” has also become common here and is often used in the press.
Individual evidence
- ↑ handball-world.com, English week for HSV handball players - Melsungen is coming , from April 24, 2006
