A tight vote in a meeting which was held in Dublin – but with a large online attendance – saw a resolution to bring in an aligned calendar by 2028 pass with a 57pc majority.
This means that a key pillar of chief football officer Marc Canham’s Football Pathways Plan (FPP) will be introduced from 2026 onwards with all leagues in the country switching to a season that will effectively run from February to November.
From 2026 onwards, 5-12 year olds will operate on that schedule, with FAI national competitions also being run across the same year. 13-16 year olds would switch to that schedule from 2027 with all remaining youth and adult leagues making the move in 2028.
Cooke and Canham addressed delegates before the summit, extolling the virtues of a ‘yes’ vote which had been endorsed by the board.
They highlighted how Ireland is the only country within UEFA that does not have an aligned schedule and football pyramid with different leagues operating different schedules depending on local preferences.
Sources indicated that Cooke stressed the importance of flexibility within the plan, but called on voters to make their call with a view to the long-term future with references to the 2038 World Cup for men and the 2039 equivalent for women.
The FAI top table argued that the switch will provide more football in better weather with an increased level of variety. As it stands, there will still be a break in July for youth and adult football with a revised games programme in younger league groups which will see the core league season take place between February and May and different tournaments played across the rest of the year.
There was resistance from the floor, including an attempt before the meeting by one Munster FA delegate to call for a deferral because they didn’t believe they were fully informed to make a decision and felt it should be a league vote.
A representative from the Carlow and District Football League, vocal opponents to the idea who had previously said they would never switch to a calendar year, stressed that the leagues should retain the ‘right of choice’ to operate whatever schedule they wanted and argued that a ‘no’ vote would have no impact on League of Ireland clubs but a ‘yes’ vote would have serious implications for sections of the amateur game.
It was suggested that a ‘yes’ vote would prompt a crisis at a time where football needed stability.
But the majority of delegates opted to make the change, with a turnout of close to 100pc reflecting an attempt by the FAI to ensure that the various chambers all had their say.
In a statement, Canham described the decision as a ‘green light for progress’ while Cooke said that the ‘FAI Board and staff will now take time to digest tonight’s meeting and the positive result’ before adding that they ‘take on board and respect all the views expressed both for and against the resolution here this evening.’
However, it is expected that there will be a strong response from leagues who oppose the concept.
Speaking after the meeting which was held at the Carlton Hotel in Blanchardstown, Chris Nestor of the Midlands League said he was shocked by the outcome.
“Anyone I had been talking to was happy with the way we had the choice of playing the season we wanted,” he said. “Anyone I had spoken to said they were voting against it because it was denying choice to play when it suits. Some leagues, summer football suits them and other leagues, the standard season suits them. It’s horses for courses. The response from the clubs I represent won’t be good.”