Higgins emphasizes the need to switch to summer

According to Sports.

Context

Ruaidhri Higgins, as Coleraine manager, has been a strong advocate of switching to summer football to improve the chances of Irish Premier League teams in European competition. His team became the third to be eliminated from Conference League qualifying, highlighting the need for changes in the approach to preparing and playing matches.

Why is this important

Colraine's defeat to COD Helsinki highlights the Irish Premier League's current problems in European competition. Manager Ruaidhri Higgins points to the need for changes to improve the teams' competitiveness on the European stage. It also casts doubt on the future of Irish clubs in the Conference League and other competitions.

Key takeaways

• Higgins emphasizes the need to switch to summer.
• Colraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins has stressed the importance of switching to summer football to improve teams' results in Europe following his side's defeat to KPK Helsinki in Conference League qualifying.
• Higgins 'big believer in Irish League summer football'.

Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins said "if we don't get into summer football we'll never improve" after his side suffered a crushing 8-0 aggregate defeat at KPK Helsinki, ending their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Conference League. COD already had a comfortable five-goal lead after the first leg and were even more ferocious in attack in the return leg at Inver Park, winning 3-0.

Coleraine became the third Irish Premier League side to be eliminated from Conference League qualifying after Linfield and Glentoran, with Larne remaining the only Northern Irish side still in with a chance of making it through to the European group stages this season. Currently, the All-Ireland Championship takes place in the traditional months of August to early May, but Higgins is convinced that the switch to summer football will be beneficial for the league.

"I've always been a supporter of summer football," Higgins told BBC Sport NI after the match. "I have to be honest: to stop these results, to help our teams in Europe and potentially not lose our place in the European competition, we need to change this. How to change this? We need to be better prepared and in better physical shape for these matches in the future. My worry is that if we don't move to summer football, it will never improve. We need to use every advantage we have."


Higgins previously coached League of Ireland side Derry City, whose European hopes also ended on Thursday when they lost to Croatia's Rijeka. However, Shelbourne and Bohemians progressed to the third qualifying round and Higgins added that the League of Ireland had strengthened with the move to a summer format. “I think 25 years ago the League of Ireland and the Irish League were at the same level and there was nothing in between,” he continued. "The League of Ireland has improved since it switched to summer football and no one can argue with that. It has outperformed the league and the results in Europe bear that out. I don't think anything will change unless we change. People don't like change but what's best for the league in my opinion is a switch to summer football for many reasons, one of which is the results in Europe."

Coleraine started the second leg well in Larne and had a number of half-chances before COD extended their lead again with goals from Toivo Mero, Alfie Sikale and Mohamedou Guei. The Bennsiders were also unlucky at the end when they hit the post just before the final whistle in an attempt to please the home fans. “CPC are simply elite attacking players who have experience playing in Europe,” added Higgins."The score does not reflect the course of 180 minutes at all, absolutely not. They said it themselves. The score was very, very cruel to us. It was much closer than it might seem."

Recent weeks have been difficult for Coleraine after captain Mark Coyle tore his cruciate ligament and Aidan Wilson was also injured in Helsinki. Higgins added that the team will now be without goalkeeper Ryan Schofield and will need to bring in new players ahead of the start of the Irish Premier League season. "We've had some issues with our squad. Ryan Schofield is due to have surgery in the next 24 hours. He was injured in a collision in training and this is another injury in that area of the pitch. We've had problems defensively with injuries and things like that and that's something we need to address and we will do."

What happens next

Higgins expects the move to summer football will help teams better prepare for international matches. In the coming months, Irish Premier League clubs could begin discussions about possible changes to the calendar. This could lead to more serious efforts to improve results on the European stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to the Coleraine team?

Colraine suffered a crushing 0-8 aggregate defeat to HPK Helsinki, ending their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Conference League.

Who confirmed the need to switch to summer football?

The need to switch to summer football was confirmed by Coleraine club manager Ruaidhri Higgins.

Why is the transition to summer football being discussed now?

Higgins believes that the transition to summer football will help improve the results of teams in Europe and prevent loss of place in European competitions.

What changes does Higgins propose for the Irish League?

Higgins suggests switching to summer football so teams can be better prepared and in better physical shape for matches in Europe.

How do Coleraine compare to other teams in the Irish Premier League?

Colraine became the third Irish Premier League team to be eliminated from Conference League qualification, after Linfield and Glentoran.

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