The Irish Football Association is moving ahead with plans to restructure the men’s football pyramid in Northern Ireland.
Proposals to create a new conference layer within the pyramid are currently being developed in collaboration with the Northern Amateur Football League.
The association said it had identified NAFL as the preferred partner for the project following a detailed consultation and selection process.
Together the two organisations will now develop appropriate and consistent league formats and fixture calendars for the top tiers of amateur football.
Graham Fitzgerald, Chief Operating Officer at the Irish FA, explained the restructure of the men’s pyramid is designed to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the amateur game in Northern Ireland.
A strategic objective of the Irish FA corporate strategy ‘A Roadmap for Football (2022-27)’ is to “transform the football pyramid to create a clear pathway for ambitious clubs”.
The association’s COO explained the intention is to support performance-focused clubs who wish to progress through the football pyramid in Northern Ireland.
He said the Irish FA plans to reset the men’s football pyramid by establishing a new Conference League, thus providing an improved pathway for motivated clubs to be promoted to the elite levels of the amateur game, with future potential for onward progression to the professional game.
The restructure will facilitate clubs and players to compete at a national level directly below the NIFL Premiership and Championship.
The new format aims to improve playing standards and upgrade the quality of facilities and spectator experience via enhanced ground criteria through an investment by the Irish FA of £800,000 in club football facilities.
Fitzgerald said the next phase of the project entails close collaboration with all relevant stakeholders to create Conference League structures and formats and communicate the criteria for eligibility.
He explained: “The Irish FA and the Northern Amateur Football League will work together to design and explain the appropriate steps of the transition process for clubs interested in competing at the conference level.
“This development presents an opportunity to strengthen the sustainability of the men’s football pyramid and recalibrate the interface between the amateur and professional leagues.”
