Inishowen Junior League to stick with winter soccer

The Inishowen Junior League will seek permission from the FAI to stick with its traditional August-April schedule after the association's board rowed back on its decision to impose a summer soccer season on grassroots leagues around the country.

While the FAI's general assembly had voted in favour of aligning the under-age, women's and amateur leagues with the League of Ireland's February-November season from 2027 onwards, delegates were informed last week that leagues will be able to apply for an exemption.

The Inishowen Junior League was among those who opposed the plan, which was recommended by the FAI's former technical director Mark Canham who left this post earlier this year.

The Inishowen Junior League will be applying for an exemption to maintain their traditional August-April season for adult men's football, with under-age and women's competitions following the calendar season and playing over the summer months as is currently the case.

League secretary Diarmuid O'Brien said the local league and clubs are relieved at the u-turn.

“The League Management and clubs in the Inishowen League are relieved that the FAI have rowed back from their plan to force leagues around the country to play a calendar season when a huge amount of the grassroots clubs and leagues expressed a strong desire not to go down this route,” he told Donegal Live.

“All the clubs in Inishowen were against this move, as were the Youth and Schoolboys League and the Ladies League.

“The current structure of the adult winter season and the youth and ladies summer season has worked for over 50 years.

“The Inishowen League will be applying for the exemption but at the moment we have no details as to what form that will take.”

The Inishowen League and their Donegal League counterparts were among those vehemently opposed to the proposal to switch to summer soccer, saying that there aren't enough pitches or match officials to facilitate all activity, from U8 to adult for men and women, simultaneously.

“The opposition expressed around the country for the right to choose when we play our season put huge pressure on the FAI board and the campaign by the Grassroots Clubs of Ireland - representing over 600 clubs and 17 leagues - really left the FAI with little option but to listen to the grassroots,” Mr O'Brien continued.

“The disappointing thing is the FAI previously tried to introduce this in 2011 and 2018 but on both occasions there was huge opposition.”

Mr O'Brien said there were many positive aspects to the FAI's Pathway plan which was adopted by the association's governing assembly last December, but the summer soccer proposal was a huge sticking point.