IFA: Plans to allow more fans at NI play off but no bail out for Irish League clubs

The Irish FA is planning on allowing at least 600 supporters to attend Northern Ireland’s European Championship play-off final against Slovakia next month.
A limited number of Northern Ireland fans were at the match against Austria.

Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEyeA limited number of Northern Ireland fans were at the match against Austria.

Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye
A limited number of Northern Ireland fans were at the match against Austria. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

IFA chief executive Patrick Nelson said he believed 600 to 1,000 fans could be safely accommodated in the National Stadium at Windsor Park within the current regulations for the crunch November 12 clash.

“We believe at the moment that we can provide a safe environment for supporters to attend that game but of course we will abide by the regulations,” he told a Stormont committee.

During a sitting of the communities committee, Mr Nelson also said the IFA did not intend bailing out any local clubs that are in danger of going bust as a result of the pandemic.

Mr Nelson said the IFA was facing a £3.5 million loss of revenue in 2020 and had recently distributed 900,000 US dollars from Fifa to men’s and women’s clubs.

He rejected the suggestion that the IFA could dip into its own reserves to save struggling clubs.

“We have a very wide range of activities that we fulfil on behalf of football throughout the whole of Northern Ireland and we need to utilise our funding for that,” he said.

“So, it wouldn’t be part of our plan at this point to dig into our reserves to fill further holes within member clubs.”

The IFA boss went on to express doubts over the economic viability of a mooted all-island domestic football league, insisting the figures did not stack up.

At Northern Ireland’s last home game earlier in October, which was prior to the current circuit break being introduced, 600 fans were admitted.

The GAA already moved to stop spectators attending games before the latest restrictions were introduced while Ulster Rugby will also play its home games behind closed doors until Stormont reviews the measures again in mid-November.

Mr Nelson told MLAs that Friday’s confusion (at the Coleraine vs Ballymena match) had been “regrettable”.

He said the IFA would base its policy on what the regulations allowed.

Sinn Fein committee member Sinead Ennis highlighted to Mr Nelson that Stormont’s chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride and chief scientific adviser Professor Ian Young had advised against letting fans into stadiums during the period of intensified restrictions.

“I think it’s our job to obey the regulations as they are printed and we obeyed the regulations,” the IFA boss replied.

“Safe capacities have been agreed, structures have been agreed, hand sanitisation and temperature checking and social distancing, all of that has been agreed with the relevant safety authorities for every ground and we abided by the regulations and will continue to abide by the regulations.”

During an appearance before the committee, Mr Nelson and IFA president David Martin were asked by SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan about whether an all-island domestic league was a runner.

“We don’t believe at this point that there is anywhere near enough money in an all-Ireland league concept for it to fly safely,” he replied.

Meanwhile the vice chairman of Ballymena United has said football without fans isn’t worth playing.

Ballymena United intend to let 600 people attend their home fixture against champions Linfield tomorrow.

Vice Chairman Don Stirling said: “There’s 600 allowed in but when you take out of that all the players, the backroom staff, the committee members, the press, etc, that leaves you with about 450 fans – paying customers.

“We’ll have both stands open. I think it’s four seats between every person (from a different household).

“The ground can hold 3,500 but you wouldn’t get that, even against Linfield. You would maybe have 2,000 to 2,500 under normal circumstances.”

Ballymena won their opening game of the season at Coleraine where there was some confusion as to whether or not fans were allowed in. The game kicked off just after the introduction of a circuit breaker designed to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Don said: “Anything I’ve seen from the IFA they’re insistent fans will be allowed in, albeit in limited numbers.

“The problem I think now is rugby has gone behind closed doors and club Gaelic has stopped altogether for four weeks. It leaves one of the three main sports out on their own.”

He added: “To run every week without a crowd you’d be better off not playing at all. How do you get any revenue in? The referee and the officials are between £500 and £600 before you ever get started, never mind players’ wages and all the incidental expenses you get.”

Of the difficulties faced by Irish League clubs, Don said: “Ballymena will probably survive but it will knock any spending on players on the head. I don’t like using the word ‘smaller’, but some clubs are going to have real difficulty surviving this.”