Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CHANGE WILL DO YOU GOOD Davy applauds IFA proposals to look at the possibility of summer football
Change is not forever so why not give these things a try? I’d be interested
IRISH League bosses David Jeffrey and Oran Kearney have welcomed Irish FA proposals which could put summer football – or a winter break - back on the local football agenda.
Seasoned Ballymena United manager Jeffrey hailed the development as “very interesting” while Coleraine boss Kearney believes the time has come for an “open debate”. Both spoke out in favour after the IFA mooted a major “tweak” to the domestic season to accommodate competitive games in May and June as part of its new five year plan for the game. The longterm aim is to help clubs prepare for European competition and propel the Northern Ireland Football League into UEFA’S top-40 ranked domestic leagues. That would help the association source additional funding for local clubs In its new strategy document, the IFA says it will “work with the NIFL to propose a tweaking of the season so that clubs are playing in May and June.” While the outworkings of such a move are open to speculation, a number of Irish League bosses believe a debate on summer football is the next natural step. Jeffrey, currently preparing Ballymena for Thursday’s Europe League tie with Norwegian full-timers Odds BK, said “Change is not forever, so why not try these things? I’d be very interested to see how the season could be tweaked.” The respected manager believes a winter break - following the money spinning Boxing Day and New Year fixtures – should be considered by football chiefs. He said: “Starting the season a little later, having a winter break that doesn’t impact on the festive games and extending the campaign (into the summer) would be ideal. “Whatever happens, the IFA should be applauded for looking at how we can improve our coefficient within UEFA.” Coleraine boss Kearney (above), also preparing his players for Europa League action against FK Haugesund of Norway, said: “I’m a big believer in summer football and a big advocate for playing games in June and July to ensure our teams are flying for Europe. “It’s easy to be stuck in our ways and say, ‘Well, we’ve always done it this way’, but if it helps our coefficient and brings in extra money, we should look at it. “Our season currently runs from August to May and I know the southern league starts in March and finishes in October, but is it feasible to have a season that falls somewhere in between? “I don’t know, but it’s something we need to seriously think about.” The Irish League is ranked 47th out of 54 domestic leagues on UEFA’S coefficient rankings table, with the Republic of Ireland 38th. IFA chief Patrick Nelson said: “If we break into the top-40, it would make a huge difference to the amount of solidarity income that comes from UEFA.”