Opinion: the league needs a winter break, and the players know it

Injuries rose 30 percent in the last two months. A three-week break would cost the league a little revenue.

Clubs played 11 matches in 34 days last month. Four first-choice players broke down. The league's own medical report says the injury rate is double that of the previous season.

A three-week mid-season break would cost about two match days of revenue. Clubs could use it for training camps and for the lower-division fixtures that currently get squeezed out.

This is a demo story: every name, place, organisation and figure in it is fictional.