If you are not already aware, Soccerwidow’s HDAFU Tables are the analytical tool we use for precision 1X2 (Home-Draw-Away-Favourite-Underdog) portfolio betting.
The level of detail contained in the tables even stretches to distinguishing between the first and second halves of a league season, where markedly different patterns of results are usually found.
To help you achieve the same results, here is our calendar of leagues showing you exactly where the mid-season breaks are for the purposes of analysing each HDAFU Table.
Some leagues have still not confirmed their schedules for 2018-19, but updates will be performed when information becomes available.
We begin with the more popular Winter Leagues; the Summer Leagues are detailed on Page 2.
2018-19 Winter Leagues
As the A-League has no recognisable mid-season break, and the programme is so short (currently 135 matches per season), just the Whole Season Analysis is offered (single HDAFU table only).
Start Date: 19th October, 2018
Finish Date: 28th April, 2019
The Austrian Bundesliga has an official winter break every season (approximately six weeks) beginning in mid-December.
Start Date: 27th July, 2018
1st Half Ends: 15th December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 23rd February, 2019
Finish Date: T.B.A. May, 2019*
*The last round of the all-against-all home/away format is 17th March 2019. After this, the league splits into two groups of six where each team plays another 10 games, home and away, against the other five teams in its group. These games are to be included in any HDAFU portfolio strategy. Official finish date of the league will be updated after 17th March.
The Jupiler League has a three/four-week break beginning after the last round of matches in December each year.
The second half of the season is shorter than the first and for the sake of the HDAFU tables, finishes with the last round of matches before the league splits into Championship* and Europa League Play-off* groups.
(*These latter matches are not included in our analyses and should not form part of any HDAFU portfolio strategy).
Start Date: 27th July, 2017
1st Half Ends: 26th December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 18th January, 2019
Finish Date: 15th March, 2019
The Superligaen has a seven/eight-week break beginning after the last round of matches in December each year.
The second half of the season splits into a Championship Group, a Relegation Group* and includes Europa League playoff games*.
(*The Relegation Group and Europa League playoff games are not included in our analyses and should not form part of any HDAFU portfolio strategy).
Start Date: 13th July, 2018
1st Half Ends: 16th December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 10th February, 2019
Finish Date: T.B.A. May, 2019
The Premier League has no mid-season or winter break, but the season breaks naturally at the end of the calendar year.
Start Date: 11th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 26th December, 2018 (Round 19)
2nd Half Starts: 29th December, 2018 (Round 20)
Finish Date: 12th May, 2019
The Championship has no mid-season or winter break, and the season is broken after Round 23, the halfway point of the season.
Start Date: 3rd August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 22nd December, 2018 (Round 23)
2nd Half Starts: 26th December, 2018 (Round 24)
Finish Date: 5th May, 2019
Ligue 1 breaks for around three weeks just before Christmas each year.
Start Date: 11th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 22nd December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 12th January, 2019
Finish Date: 25th May, 2019
Ligue 2 breaks for around four weeks just before Christmas each year.
Start Date: 27th July, 2018
1st Half Ends: 21st December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 11th January, 2019
Finish Date: 17th May, 2019
The Bundesliga 1 has a break of four/five weeks each year beginning in mid-December.
Start Date: 24th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 22nd December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 19th January, 2019
Finish Date: 18th May, 2019
The Bundesliga 2 has a break of four/five weeks each year beginning in mid-December.
Start Date: 3rd August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 22nd December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 29th January, 2019
Finish Date: 19th May, 2019
The Super League has a break of around three weeks usually beginning during the third week of December.
Start Date: 25th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 21st December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 11th January, 2019
Finish Date: 12th May, 2019
Serie A usually has a break of around two weeks beginning after the last round of games immediately before/after Christmas, with the re-start during the first or second week of January each year.
Start Date: 19th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 29th December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 20th January, 2019
Finish Date: 26th May, 2019
Serie B usually has a break of around two weeks beginning after the last round of games immediately before/after Christmas, with the re-start during the first or second week of January each year.
Start Date: 24th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 30th December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 19th January, 2019
Finish Date: 11th May, 2019
The Eredivisie has a four-week break beginning after the last round of games immediately before Christmas.
Start Date: 10th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 23rd December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 18th January, 2019
Finish Date: 12th May, 2019
The Ekstraklasa has a seven/eight-week break beginning after the last round of matches in mid-December each year.
The second half of the season splits into a Championship and Relegation Group, and all matches are included in our analyses for inclusion in any strategy.
Start Date: 20th July, 2018
1st Half Ends: 22nd December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 9th February, 2019
Finish Date: T.B.A. May, 2019*
*The league splits after the final matches of the regular season on 13th April 2019. The Finish Date for the league will be updated thereafter.
The Primeira Liga has a two-week break beginning after the last round of matches immediately before Christmas each year.
Start Date: 12th. August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 23rd December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 2nd January, 2019
Finish Date: 19th May, 2019
Liga I has up to six weeks’ break beginning immediately before Christmas each year.
Start Date: 20th July, 2018
1st Half Ends: 20th December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 2nd February, 2019
Finish Date: 1st June, 2019
The Russian Premier League needs an extended break to cope with the winter weather. The break usually begins in mid-December, with the re-start not until early March each year.
Start Date: 29th July, 2018
1st Half Ends: 9th December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 3rd March, 2019
Finish Date: 26th May, 2019
The Premiership breaks for around three weeks each season after the last round of matches in the calendar year.
Start Date: 4th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 29th December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 23rd January, 2019
Finish Date: 6th April, 2019.
La Liga Primera has a break of up to two weeks after the games immediately before Christmas.
Start Date: 17th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 22nd December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 6th January, 2019
Finish Date: 19th May, 2019
La Liga Segunda has a break of up to two weeks after the games immediately before Christmas.
Start Date: 17th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 22nd December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 6th January, 2019
Finish Date: 9th June, 2019
The Super League breaks for six/seven weeks in mid-December each year.
Start Date: 21st July, 2018
1st Half Ends: 15th December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 2nd February, 2019
Finish Date: 25th May, 2019
The Süper Lig breaks for around two weeks at the end of each calendar year.
Start Date: 10th August, 2018
1st Half Ends: 24th December, 2018
2nd Half Starts: 27th January, 2019
Finish Date: 26th May, 2019
I’m confused, the last match in Allsvenskan was played on the 27th of May, but you say it has no break during the World Cup, although the next match will be played on the 3rd of July. Japan J league also has a break since 20th of May, the next round will be played on the 18th of July.
Hi Jo,
Yes, the WC has interrupted a few schedules. From the Japan perspective, all of its analyses for the HDAFU tables split perfectly in half – the first 17 rounds followed by the next. The WC has created a ‘false’ break – what effect this is likely to be is anyone’s guess. But to be technically following the HDAFU tables’ model, I suggest using the half/half season break per the dates above.
I have changed the dates for Sweden and thanks for making me think again on that one.
Hi Right Winger,
ok understood. According to this article 2nd half of Finish Veikkausliga started on the 30th of June (round 17) but there were some teams with just 15 matches played and these teams played against teams with 16 or even 17 matches played. How to maneuver this the next time?
Hi,
With the new format in the Ireland premier league this season, is the end of the 1st half of the season to be treated as the end of round 16 as stated in this article? Or would it be the end of round 18, which is exactly half of this season? Want to make sure I switch to the second half system at the right time.
Thanks.
Hi Simon,
I will update the article over the weekend with the various Summer League dates now that most of them are known.
You are right – end of Round 18 (19th May) signals the close of the first half of the season in Ireland.
Second half of season systems in Ireland should begin with the round of matches commencing on 21st May.
Thanks for taking the trouble to write.
Hi, i read all your stuff but never posted.
Im making something that looks at the “book” and finds pricing errors.
I can not think of a logical way to price matches between “NEW” teams (ones that have just been promoted) and existing teams.
It is very hard to get anything making much sense pricewise with so few games played in most of the leagues.
Got any tips on how to deal with NEW teams in Imature leagues ? ANything you have ever wrote on this would be very helpfull – I cant find anything on this subject.
Hi Semnomic,
Thanks for your comment.
We have written in the past about the issue of calculating odds for league newcomers and agree it is an unreliable science.
Better to concentrate on teams with longer track records in the leagues you are looking at.
I hope this helps in some small way.
Thanks for link – What I’m looking at is using history from newcomers LAST season, applying a sort of weighting to it and combining it back into current season. So although the HDA numbers + total goals etc are high for last season they get diluted yet give some credit. As the season progresses I dilute less and less until about 50% of way through season where NO old data is used…
Hi Right Winger,
will you update this article with the dates now that the schedules are out? Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Hi Daniel,
Your wish is my command!
Everything duly updated – still a few gaps in the Winter League programme (Greece and a few end-of-season uncertainties), but this calendar article will continue to be amended as soon as dates become fixed…