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."

At that time, the General Assembly passed the following resolution: ‘That in light of the decision of the IFA to allow competitive football on Sundays, the General Assembly express concern about professional sporting events which hinder or diminish attendance of Sunday worship, thus interfering with Christian practice as an established aspect of societal life’.

The spokesperson for the church went on to say: “We recognise that attitudes in society in relation to sporting and other events on Sundays have continued to evolve and that such events are more common place today.

"Nonetheless, the position of our Church remains unchanged. It is important that as far as possible those making decisions on sporting fixtures take account of both the views of those players who may not wish to participate, and also of those supporters who may feel excluded by regular Sunday fixtures.

"For these reasons, we welcome last night’s decision to reject the expansion of Sunday football, while recognising individual clubs continue to retain flexibility over this matter.”

NIFL chief executive Gerard Lawlor retains his firm belief that exploring an increase in Sunday football on the domestic calendar is a must to help grow the Irish League product.

"This is an issue that will come back down the line,” said Lawlor. "Our role is to seek out ways to develop our game...that is the only goal and, on the issue of the proposal, we consider it a vital step forward.”