Scottish football could "reinstate a winter break" in time for the '16-17 season, according to the BBC. A Scottish Professional Football League working party is "examining the possibility." SPFL Secretary Iain Blair said, "It is a debate which is under way at all levels within the game, but there are no specific solutions at this point." The old Scottish Premier League had a winter break from '98-99, but this was scrapped in '02-03. However, with Aberdeen and St. Johnstone now having to play the opening matches of the Europa League qualifiers this week, the issue has "raised its head once more." The introduction of the UEFA Nations Cup in '18 will also "mean more internationals being played in June." Support for a change in the football calendar was shown by a BBC Scotland survey earlier this month, when 10 out of the 12 Premiership clubs and 28 of the 42 throughout Scotland said that they would "consider supporting a switch to summer football" (BBC, 6/28). In Glasgow, Gordon Waddell reported clubs "believe action is needed now before players suffer total burnout." Aberdeen Manager Derek McInnes has "accused the authorities of 'taking liberties' with players' wellbeing with the current calendar" as his side faces its second straight Europa League campaign kicking off this week. League chiefs "insisted on a three-year moratorium on change after the SPL and SFL merged two summers ago," and with this season's fixture list already scheduled, Jan. '17 could "see the first full winter break re-introduced since the idea was canned" at the end of '02-03. Blair said, "We cannot lose sight of the key European dates and international dates we have to avoid, so that may lead us towards playing more games in the early summer than late summer, whether that's the League Cup in July or starting the League in July" (Scotland DAILY RECORD, 6/28).
