Limavady United manager Paul Owens admits it’s “unfortunate for us” that Linfield fans are set to boycott Friday’s Irish Cup sixth round clash – but insists there’s “no disrespect or bad feeling” towards the Blues.

After the tie, which will be staged at the Coleraine Showgrounds, was selected for live BBC coverage, the amalgamation of Linfield Supporters Clubs stated their intention to not attend and also encouraged fans to “not watch the game on the stream to ensure the boycott has maximum impact”.

There’s growing frustration amongst Linfield’s fanbase over the number of matches selected for TV with the Blues responding by saying they’ll “seek changes to the broadcasting contract” ahead of next season.

With supporters clubs not running buses to the fixture and a reduced Linfield fan presence, it will impact the financial return received by Championship leaders Limavady from a bumper tie – but Owens doesn’t hold any negative feelings.

placeholder image — Limavady United manager Paul Owens. (Photo by Inpho/Stephen Hamilton)

"It’s unfortunate for us and that’s it, there’s no disrespect or bad feeling towards Linfield,” said Owens on BBC Sportsound. “It is what it is.

"I’ve been asked what I think about it and it’s disappointing for our club, it would be the same for any other Championship club.

"We did see it as the potential for a bit of a money-spinner.

"It would be brilliant to see their fans here and I’m sure a lot of them still will be, I think it’s supporter buses that aren’t coming.

"We still expect a good support. They’re the biggest club in the country and I’m sure they’ll have a good backing.”

A statement from the amalgamation of Linfield Supporters Clubs read: “The amalgamation of Linfield Supporters Clubs has regretfully decided to boycott the upcoming Irish Cup game against Limavady United.

"This decision was not made lightly, especially considering the significant financial impact a larger home gate would have for Limavady United Football Club.

"However, it has become increasingly challenging for our Supporters Clubs to run buses to games cost-effectively due to the increasing number of evening fixtures.

"These evening games hinder our members' ability to travel and combined with rising membership fees to cover ever-increasing bus costs, we are seeing a decline in Supporters Club membership across the board, affecting the overall functionality of Supporters Clubs.

“For context, there have been 24 games in the NIFL premiership selected for TV up until the end of March 2026, 15 of those games have involved or will involve Linfield.

"Between 13th October 2024 and 14th November 2025, Linfield had only one away game at 3pm on a Saturday, which was against Portadown on 18th January 2025.

"Although these issues are not unique to Linfield, we believe there is a clear agenda from the BBC, NIFL and in this instance the IFA to prioritise games featuring Linfield over other clubs for greater viewing figures.

“While we acknowledge that Linfield, as the premier club in the country, will naturally be in higher demand for TV viewing, it is the responsibility of the football authorities and the BBC to balance that demand without overburdening the match-going fans of any particular club, upon which NIFL depends for income and survival.

"If the BBC continues to exert such control over the football calendar, we suggest they start compensating the Football Clubs with sums of money that offset the loss of gate income, rather than the paltry amounts currently paid out.

“We would also encourage fans to not watch the game on the stream to ensure the boycott has maximum impact.”