David Jeffrey: I’d prefer to avoid Sunday games – worship is my priority

The Ballymena boss said that to do so would risk interfering with his number one priority: worshipping God on the Sabbath.

He was speaking ahead of Sunday’s League Cup game between Cliftonville and Coleraine.

The clubs are reportedly expecting a record turnout over in excess of 10,000.

However, many Irish League fans – and clubs themselves – have long had an antipathy towards Sunday games.

Ballymena is believed to be a team which has historically sought to avoid Sabbath matches.

Now its manager Mr Jeffrey – who worships at St George’s Church of Ireland in Belfast – has told the News Letter his biggest concern about such clashes is they will interfere with church attendance.

“My own view is very simply: God made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath,” he said.

“The most important thing for me on Sunday is really making sure I’m in my place of worship...

“I suppose for me traditionally in Northern Ireland we haven’t played [on Sundays] and I’ve always been very comfortable with that.

“I’m not coming down on anybody playing, making any judgement, or giving any direction.

“My own preference would be not to play – simply around the practicalities of if you’re playing away from home, say Coleraine or anywhere else, it’d maybe interfere with my worship.

“My priority on a Sunday is worshipping God... the practicalities of trying to prepare for a game on a Sunday would interfere dramatically with getting to church.”

Linfield has previous played on a Sunday, and when asked its stance yesterday, a club spokesman said that if the situation ever arises where they are asked to do so again then they will consider it at that time.

Click here: Irish League outlook amid Covid crisis: ‘A decade of good work may well have just evaporated’

Click here: Internal struggles of an NI church laid bare: Irish League star-turned-pastor accused own brother of ‘rebellion’

Click here: Irish League hoping to capitalise on fans’ disgust at new Euro contest

Click here: WATCH: Built-in-Belfast tungsten-tipped Starstreak missile to be shipped to Ukraine warzone for use in destroying Russian aircraft

Click here: Sinn Fein’s past hostility towards NATO ‘shows party was peeing into the wind, and it has come back to hit them in the face’

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdowns having had a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptionsnow to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry, Editor