Recent Weather Problems Show That the Premier League Needs a Winter Break

On the weekend of Dec. 18 and 19 of 2010, all but two of the fixtures that were due to take place in the English Premier League were cancelled.

This included a massive matchup between Chelsea and Manchester United, along with Arsenal taking on Stoke City in their first meeting since Aaron Ramsey's leg was broken by Ryan Shawcross last February, and a derby match between Wolverhampton and West Bromwich.

Of course, this isn't the first time this season that we have seen matches get postponed, with a recent match between Blackpool and Manchester United also getting postponed due in part to the weather.

And when considering that winter does not begin until Dec. 21, we can be in for a long winter filled with postponed matches.

However, this weekend can also help the Premier League recognize that now is the time for the league to implement a winter break starting next season.

If a winter break was put into effect, there would be less cancelled matches and players would be healthier and more fit to play in matches for both club and country.

For years now, the German Bundesliga and several other top leagues around the world have been using a winter break in their season. It has helped players in their leagues to be better off than they would have been if there was no winter break.

Following England's dismal display in South Africa last June, many people in the media called for the Premier League to implement a winter break to no avail.

Notable managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wegner, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello have called for a winter break for the Premier League. Also, players such as Wayne Rooney, Gael Clichy and Gareth Barry have joined the managers in requesting a break in winter.

Despite claims by the Premier League that there is too much congestion in the season to have time off, a winter break would be extremely helpful for everyone.

Especially when you consider how the players will be able to be fully fit after several weeks off and can focus on the Premier League, FA Cup and European competition with a much clearer head.

Plus, with global temperatures rising as a result of climate change, there will be more winters that will have increased snow and colder weather to prevent the players from performing to the level that they should be producing at.

If the Premier League continues to follow the model that it has for the last 18 years when it comes to winter weather, they will continue to see the English national football team disappoint in international competitions.

Also, foreign players who play in England will subsequently under-perform for their nations.

Hopefully, this winter will get the Premier League to realize that they need to have a winter break staring next season.

If not, this trend of harsh winters will probably continue to harm English football until a winter break is implemented.

And the Premier League could lose much of the foreign talent and money to other leagues around the world as a result of these harsh winters.