Higgins ‘big believer in Irish League summer football’
Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins has called for the Irish Premiership to adopt a summer-football calendar after his side’s 8-0 aggregate defeat by HJK Helsinki ended their Conference League qualifying campaign. He argued that playing through the summer would leave Northern Irish clubs better conditioned and more competitive in early European qualifiers, potentially helping protect the league’s European allocation.
HJK won the second leg 3-0 at Inver Park after taking a five-goal lead from the first match, despite Higgins believing the aggregate score overstated the gap between the teams. He pointed to the League of Ireland’s improvement since moving to a February-to-November season, with Shelbourne and Bohemians reaching the third qualifying round while Coleraine, Linfield and Glentoran have exited; Larne remain Northern Ireland’s only European hopeful. Coleraine also face injuries to Mark Coyle, Aidan Wilson and goalkeeper Ryan Schofield before the new domestic season.
- Higgins wants summer football to improve Irish Premiership European results.
- Coleraine lost 8-0 on aggregate to HJK Helsinki.
- Injuries are adding to Coleraine’s pre-season concerns.
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Coleraine, a football club from Northern Ireland, was eliminated from European qualifying with an 8-0 aggregate defeat to Finnish team HJK Helsinki in the Conference League. The club's manager, Ruaidhri Higgins, has called for significant changes to how the Northern Irish football league is structured.
Higgins specifically wants the Irish Premiership to adopt a summer-football calendar running from February to November rather than the traditional autumn-to-spring schedule. He believes this would make Northern Irish clubs more competitive in early European qualifying rounds, where teams from warmer climates have a natural advantage.
The argument is supported by the League of Ireland, which governs football in the Republic of Ireland and switched to a summer calendar. Since then, Irish clubs have achieved better results in European qualifying, which helps protect the league's European competition places.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A summer calendar could help Northern Irish clubs prepare in better conditions for early European qualifiers, when results affect both club progress and the league’s European allocation. The League of Ireland’s recent European performances offer a reason to consider whether its February-to-November season has helped clubs become more competitive.
The case against
Changing the calendar would be a major structural decision, and a run of European results does not by itself show that the season timing caused the difference. Northern Irish clubs may need to weigh the benefits against practical effects on domestic scheduling, playing conditions and preparation, while addressing other factors such as injuries and squad strength.