IFA lifts ban on Sunday Football

[dcfcsteve]

The IFA finally voted last night to lift their own 'Rule 42' - the sectarian ban on Sunday football that pandered to the religious interests of a minority of protestant faiths.

Shame it took them 60 years to catch up with the rest of the world, but at least it's happened.

[Not Brazil]

Delighted that this "rule of exclusion" has been removed.

[Lionel Ritchie]

boola bas.

Long overdue.

[EalingGreen]

A welcome and long overdue move, if for no other reason than that it has been increasingly "more honoured in the breech than the observance", with the Senior International team(!), senior Irish League Clubs, junior Leagues etc all playing on Sundays in recent years.
In fact, afaik, any NI footballer who played anywhere in the world on a Sunday (e.g. English Premiership) was technically ineligible for selection by the IFA for any of its representative teams!
Which means we had the ridiculous situation whereby the overwhelming majority who opposed the ban were castigated for its still being in the Rule Book, whilst the tiny minority who supported it weren't even seeing it enforced!
And how richly ironic that the "Never On a Sunday Brigade" were supporting a ban which is now only imposed in one other place in the whole of Europe - the Vatican!

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20955768-5003460,00.html

[OneRedArmy]

Will anyone play regularly on a Sunday?

[Not Brazil]

Will anyone play regularly on a Sunday?

IL teams? I doubt it.

The fact is that the opportunity/choice to do so is now available.

Maybe some of the Junior Leagues will move games to a Sunday, thus allowing many who hitherto have been unable to attend IL games on a Saturday to do so?

[MyTown]

UTV carried a report last night suggesting Donegal Celtic and Newry Town were looking at a possible fixture on Jan 27 2008.

Anyone else feel this is related to a possible All Ireland League?

[dcfcsteve]

UTV carried a report last night suggesting Donegal Celtic and Newry Town were looking at a possible fixture on Jan 27 2008.

Anyone else feel this is related to a possible All Ireland League?

Errr..., no !!!

Why would it be ??

It was just a long overdue change that the IFA tried to make a year ago as well. You're putting 1 and 1 together and getting the twelve times table.

I suspect the IFA are against an all-island league anyway, as it would most probably erode their posiiton and possibly begin their demise.

[Mr A]

UTV carried a report last night suggesting Donegal Celtic and Newry Town were looking at a possible fixture on Jan 27 2008.

Anyone else feel this is related to a possible All Ireland League?

Frankly, no.

[dcfcsteve]

A welcome and long overdue move, if for no other reason than that it has been increasingly "more honoured in the breech than the observance", with the Senior International team(!), senior Irish League Clubs, junior Leagues etc all playing on Sundays in recent years.
In fact, afaik, any NI footballer who played anywhere in the world on a Sunday (e.g. English Premiership) was technically ineligible for selection by the IFA for any of its representative teams!
Which means we had the ridiculous situation whereby the overwhelming majority who opposed the ban were castigated for its still being in the Rule Book, whilst the tiny minority who supported it weren't even seeing it enforced!
And how richly ironic that the "Never On a Sunday Brigade" were supporting a ban which is now only imposed in one other place in the whole of Europe - the Vatican!
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...003460,00.html

Which senior IL teams have played on a Sunday EG ?

Interestingly, the IL still has to give its approval to any proposed Sunday games. Why they bothered to cling onto that one last vestige of the old rule I just don't know. Even if they don't say 'no' they shouldn't have to be asked in the first place if they don't have to anoint games on any other weekday.

There's a decent publicity opportunity here for whichever IL team decides to host the first Sunday fixture. They'll get much more media coverage than they'd otherwise get, and it should add a few curious spectators onto the gate to be part of an 'historic' event.

I suspect first-up would be rthe likes of DC or Newry - i.e. not a team with a protestant support-base, or in an area where the Free P's might turn up to breathe fire and brimstone like they did when Ulster rugby did their first Sunday fixture about 2 years ago.

[geysir]

It looks like it is a difficult task to make any change the IFA constitution, it requires a 75% vote in favour in order for any proposal to be accepted.

It can be a very long climb from the usual 2/3 to achieve a 3/4 majority no matter what Association is involved

[Mr A]

Which senior IL teams have played on a Sunday EG ?

Cliftonville played an away Intertoto game on a Sunday, I think Ballymena did as well. I think the NI team played an exhibition on a Sunday too.

[dcfcsteve]

It looks like it is a difficult task to make any change the IFA constitution, it requires a 75% vote in favour in order for any proposal to be accepted.

It can be a very long climb from the usual 2/3 to achieve a 3/4 majority no matter what Association is involved

Doesn't matter.

Even the GAA managed to let "crown forces" participate in their games and, shock horror, garrison games be played on their hallowed turf before the IFA stopped pandering to the whims of a minority within protestantism. They shot themselves in the foot by allowing themselves to be the last major sporting body on the island to modernise.

It just shows that there are still a significant number of dinosaurs involved in Northern Irish football ! Anyone who thinks that lot would vote for an all-island league any time soon are living on a different planet.

[dcfcsteve]

Cliftonville played an away Intertoto game on a Sunday, I think Ballymena did as well. I think the NI team played an exhibition on a Sunday too.

I know NI played in the US on a Sunday recently.

UEFA could've come down on the IFA if they had stopped an IL team playign an away Euro fixture on a Sunday. It was expected to be only a matter of time before FIFA 'had a word' with the IFA on the issue anyway, and they had the threat of court action from disgruntled individuals/clubs in the north hanging over their heads as well.

But there hasn't been a domestic fixture on a Sunday before, as far as I'm aware ?

[Not Brazil]

It just shows that there are still a significant number of dinosaurs involved in Northern Irish football

The vote to bin the Sunday ban was 91 to 14 in favour.

A "significant" majority.