Presbyterian Church welcomes rejection of Sunday football expansion in Northern Ireland

NIFL put forward a motion to amend the current regulation that "no match shall be played within Northern Ireland on a Sunday, unless the two participating clubs and competition organisers agree to do so" to now include "this regulation shall not apply to matches played under the auspices of the Northern Ireland Football League".

The proposal did not pass – with 104 votes against the change and only 27 in favour.

A spokesperson for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said: “The last time the General Assembly of our Church directly considered such issues was in 2008, and on that occasion it was in response to the Irish Football Association’s (IFA) decision to permit football matches on a Sunday."