NEFL’s ‘yes’ to summer season
LAST Tuesday night proved to be a watershed for the North East Football League when clubs finally agreed to change the playing season to a calendar year in line with the League of Ireland.
A number of previous attempts to move to a summer season failed, partly because of league rules that required a two-thirds majority for any motion to be carried, but this time clubs gave a very strong ‘yes’ vote - by 40 to 8. - at the League agm in Navan’s Ardboyne Hotel.
The decision means that there will be a shortened transitional 2018 season, running from early August until November, with the first full calendar year campaign beginning in March 2019.
At the same meeting a Duleek motion to reduce the present two-thirds requirement for motions to be carried to 60% was also agreed.
Duleek and Rossin Rovers raised the matter of rising player insurance costs and the NEFL are to investigate whether discounts would be available if all related matters were directed through the FAI.
Two local clubs look set to return to the league after a number of years, namely Abbey Celtic and Drogheda Town reserves who both had representatives at last week’s agm.
All outgoing NEFL officers were re-elected en bloc - namely chairman David Tully, vice-chairman John Gorman, secretary/treasuruer Gerry Gorman, fixtures secretary Declan Jordan, PRO Tommy Melia and registrar Damien Smith - along with outgoing committee members Derek Coogan, Steve Laverty, Eugene Lynch, Danny Doyle, Stephen McCabe, Mark McGuinness, Damien Clarke and Brian McCreary.
•The NEFL’s Annual Presentation Night will take place on Friday June 22th at 9pm sharp in the Monasterboice Inn. Tickets, priced at €15 each, are now available and must be pre-booked and paid for by June 20th.