NIFL to look at reimbursing supporters after call-offs

NIFL chief executive Gerard Lawlor accepted the league's management of the situation "backfired"

Chief executive Gerard Lawlor has said the Northern Ireland Football League [NIFL] will look at reimbursing supporters who lost money as a result of late postponements in Saturday's Irish Premiership matches.

Despite an amber weather warning for high winds having been issued on Friday, all six fixtures were called off on Saturday.

Speaking to the BBC on Saturday, a Linfield fan said a group of supporters spent £370 on a private bus to travel to Dungannon Swifts' Stangmore Park only for the game to be postponed 70 minutes before kick-off.

Coleraine's home encounter with Portadown was also called off just an before kick-off, while the match between Cliftonville and Carrick Rangers at Solitude was postponed just 15 minutes earlier.

"If people are out of pocket at supporters clubs, we will look to see if we can help in some way as a gesture of goodwill," Lawlor told Good Morning Ulster on Monday.

NIFL to meet with clubs in January

The decision to call off games at short notice was widely criticised with Northern Ireland Communities Minister Gordon Lyons saying supporters who had already travelled to the venues were left in an "appalling situation".

Lawlor also said NIFL will look at revising its response to weather warnings in a way that removes pressure from home clubs, referees and stadium safety officers.

"We will have a meeting with our clubs in January. We will obviously discuss and learn from the situation that took place," he added.

"It's an adult conversation that needs to take place. Unfortunately for us, a lot of our clubs couldn't agree. We are a members association.

"People are talking about the 70-minute postponement at Dungannon. My staff had been working from 7 o'clock that morning. We had numerous phone calls with those home clubs and numerous phone calls with some of the away clubs.

"We were told by people in the area, on the ground, 'no, there is no threat to the game, it's playable'. You know Dungannon were very angry at the referee calling off the game. They felt their game on Tuesday night [away to Crusaders] was played in worse conditions than Saturday.

"We can only take the information that is relayed to us in the office, we're not there. The referee arrived and he made a call and we've held our hands up to that."

Lawlor was speaking on Monday after apologising for the postponements in a post on X on Sunday, admitting the league's management of the situation "backfired".

NIFL is yet to confirm rearranged fixture details for the six games.