No more games in conditions like this from 2019

Soccer clubs vote to change season

Club delegates at the North East Football League annual general meeting in Navan tonight sanctioned a change in the playing season to what has been termed 'summer soccer' for many years.

Tonight's meeting considered a proposal to change the format from the traditional August - April season to one in line with what applies currently in the League of Ireland and in many of the junior leagues around the country.

The motion was put forward by Duleek and supported by Navan Town with NEFL Fixtures Secretary Declan Jordan speaking in favour of the change.

Skryne / Tara delegate Dermot Carty spoke against the motion.

This proposal had failed on a number of occasions in the last decade, but at tonight's meeting it was ratified with 32 (40-8) votes to spare as delegates eventually made the move to what has been termed 'summer soccer' but it actually isn't as the season will be from March -  October / November annually from 2019

As the  motion was adopted the scheduling of an EGM is now required prior to the start of the new season to ratify the many necessary rule changes.

CHRONICLE VIEW

The 2018 season is likely to start (perhaps) in July and conclude in November - The leagues will probably still be played on a two-round basis but some of the other competitions may be held over apart from the Challenge Cup and Reserve Cup and the Kilmessan Shield and O'Neill Shield.

Playing those competitions would provide all clubs with a minimum of 20 games in the period from July - November with a mini-break in August.

The EGM will take place in June.