Rush hour travel warning for UEFA football match

Fans of Swiss team St Gallen have arrived in Belfast ahead of Thursday night's game

Motorists have been warned of traffic disruption in Belfast due to a parade by hundreds of football fans from Switzerland on Thursday.

Up to 2,000 supporters of St Gallen are expected in the city for a UEFA Conference League match at Windsor Park against Larne Football Club.

They applied to the Parades Commission to march to the stadium from Shaftesbury Square at 17:30 GMT.

The parade is being held during the rush-hour period, in a part of the city badly affected by traffic congestion in recent weeks.

The match will kick off at 20:00

Since the opening in September of a new transport hub, Grand Central Station, motorists have complained of long delays.

Some take-away delivery drivers have stopped taking orders between 16:00 and 19:00 GMT on weekdays.

On the Parades Commission website, notification has been given for a parade with a maximum of 2,000 participants.

The route covers Bradbury Place, Shaftesbury Square, Donegall Road and Donegall Avenue, ending at 19:00

Last year, football fans from Denmark also applied for permission to parade to Windsor Park.

Danish football fans organised a mile-long march to the stadium when they played against Northern Ireland in Belfast in November 2023

'Congestion likely pre-match'

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said its officers expect more than 5,000 spectators at Thursday’s game.

“Supporters, commuters and shoppers are advised to plan their journey in advance, ensuring they leave sufficient travel time as congestion is likely in the area," a PSNI spokesperson said.

“A build-up of traffic is to be expected in the Shaftesbury Square, Lisburn Road and Donegall Road areas of south Belfast as well as the M1 and Boucher Road areas both before and after the game.”

The match kicks off at 20:00 GMT.

It is technically a Larne home-game but their Inver Park ground does not meet the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) standard to host Conference League games.

The PSNI spokesperson added: “We hope that the match is enjoyed by all and would remind those attending to behave in a manner befitting the reputation of their teams.”

St Gallen, from the eastern part of Switzerland, have been part of the Swiss Super League for the past decade.

Like Larne, they have lost all of their matches so far in the UEFA league.

Meanwhile the Belfast Road in Comber is currently closed between Glen Link and and Ballyrainey Road, due to a crash, and police say motorists should seek an alternative route for their journey.