Irish FA AGM: Everything you need to know following the Irish FA's AGM

Here are all the key points you need to know from the AGM:

1. Irish FA made a loss of £536,000 during 2022

Finance Director, Niall McClean, revealed that the association made a loss of £536,000 throughout 2022 with rising energy, utility and travel bills impacting the bottom line.

That came despite revenue increasing on the commercial front with the IFA receiving money from a six-year broadcast deal negotiated by UEFA in August.

McClean said that his ambition was for the association to return to breaking even by the end of this year.

1. New minimum age rule passed

A proposal for a new regulation that means players must be aged 16 by the end of the current playing season (May 31 for the men’s game, October 31 for women) before becoming eligible to play senior football was passed by 135 votes to eight.

Last season, Linfield striker Braiden Graham made his senior debut as a substitute against Dungannon Swifts aged 15 while the likes of Liam Donnelly (2011), Matthew Shevlin (2014) and Charlie Allen (2019) all made their top-flight Irish League debuts before turning 16.

Alex McIlmail remains the youngest Premiership player since 2009 when he turned out for Glenavon against Carrick Rangers in February 2016 aged 15 years and 57 days.

Glenavon’s Christopher Atherton became the youngest ever senior player in the United Kingdom when he came on as a substitute in September’s League Cup victory over Dollingstown at 13.

1. NIFL’s Sunday football proposal rejected

One of the main talking points heading into the meeting was NIFL’s proposed amendment to the regulations around Sunday football from "no match shall be played within Northern Ireland on a Sunday, unless the two participating clubs and competition organisers agree to do so" to include "this regulation shall not apply to matches played under the auspices of the Northern Ireland Football League".

That was rejected by 104 votes to 27. Read NIFL Chief Executive Gerard Lawlor’s thoughts here.

1. Return of Michael O’Neill welcomed

While saying it was a tough decision to replace outgoing senior men’s manager Ian Baraclough, IFA Chief Executive, Patrick Nelson, welcomed the return of Michael O’Neill as national team boss.

Nelson noted that the senior men’s team’s results had been disappointing in 2022 (Northern Ireland only won one of their six UEFA Nations League matches in a group that contained Greece, Kosovo and Cyprus) but ‘was heartened by the progress made by the senior women’s team’.

The women’s side reached the 2022 European Championships that were held in England, playing in Group A alongside the hosts, Austria and Norway while also picking up World Cup qualifying victories over Luxembourg and Latvia last year.

1. Conrad Kirkwood re-elected as Irish FA President

After the AGM had concluded, the Irish FA Council held a meeting where Conrad Kirkwood was re-elected as Irish FA President.

Kirkwood was elected to the role in the summer of 2021 after serving as secretary at hometown club Abbey Villa for over 20 years and spent nine years on the Irish FA Board and five years as vice chairman – and chairman – of the Stadium Development Company.

Neil Jardine and Colin McKendry were also re-elected as First Deputy President and Second Deputy President respectively.