The Scottish Premier League's winter break is to be scrapped. Representatives of the 12 clubs met at Hampden Park today and voted to get rid of the top-flight's January shutdown.
The winter break had been introduced in the 1998-99 season to try to minimise the number of games lost to the weather.
The majority of the top-flight clubs used the time to allow players to recharge their batteries on holiday before jetting off to sunnier climes for training sessions.
Rangers manager Alex McLeish, who took his players to Dubai in January, was a supporter of the break.
But the chairmen of the 12 top-flight clubs were not so keen as it denied them gate money for almost a month.
And it also meant that the weeks in the run-up to Christmas, when the strain on fans' pockets is at its greatest, were clogged with fixtures.
There was no winter break last season because the season had to finish early to avoid a clash with the World Cup finals.
Lex Gold, chairman of the Bank of Scotland Premier League, said: "Today's board meeting of the SPL addressed the subject of the winter break.
"Following detailed discussions, the 12 clubs voted to remove the winter break from the fixture schedule for season 2003-4.
"The new fixture schedule will be announced, as is customary, during the summer break."