The winter break should remain a feature of the Premiership football season to allow teams and players to “reset”, the Buddies gaffer has said.
This season is the first time in four years that the top flight in Scotland will see football continue without its usual two-week hiatus in January.
The only time the SPFL has dropped the mid-season break was during the Covid-affected 2020-21 campaign.
Stephen Robinson has this week admitted he’s not a fan of the continual play and says the break from fixtures allows for valuable training and to dedicate time to the transfer window.
Explaining the club has taken the team abroad to warmer climates for a winter training camp in recent years, Robbo said: “Last week, we weren’t able to train very much due to the weather.
“We worked a lot in the gym. We don’t have the luxury of an indoor facility like a lot of teams do, unfortunately.
“We’ve done minimal training on the Astro; the boys aren’t able to train on it sometimes [as there’s greater risk of injuries].”
He added: “The fixture schedule is heavy because of the lack of a winter break due to the Champions League, which I’m not a huge fan of personally.
“I just think, for clubs like ourselves, it did allow you to reset.
“It allowed two weeks of really good coaching time, probably in warmer climates as well.
“It allowed you to work on the transfer window really aggressively because you could dedicate a lot more time to it.
“So, yeah, that’s a disappointment.
“But it’s the same for everybody and we’re all dealing with the same situation.”
Key dates for next season were released this week with the SPFL announcing no winter break for the 2025/26 season
either.
The William Hill Premiership, William Hill Championship, William Hill League 1 and William Hill League 2 will all kick off on the weekend of August 1-3.
The Premiership will conclude on the weekend of May 16/17, while clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two will finish their regular seasons on the first weekend in May, before the play-offs get under way.
The SPFL says that due to the new UEFA club competition format running until the end of January, there will be no scheduled break during the winter
months.
Calum Beattie, SPFL chief operating officer, said: “We are only just into the second half of the season across the four divisions and there is so much to look forward to in the remaining months of season
2024/25.
“However, we are well aware that clubs and supporters need to plan ahead.
“We are therefore pleased to be able to confirm the start and end dates for season 2025/26.
“We will again have five clubs competing in UEFA club competitions in season 2025/26 and, of course, we are all hoping that next season ends with Scotland’s participation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
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