Matches to switch to earlier kick-off time for whole season

The Fermanagh and Western League are set to change all league kick off times to 2pm this season and publish a complete set of fixtures prior to the start of the campaign, after both proposals were passed at their recent Annual General Meeting.

In recent years league matches had got underway at 2.30pm, with a two month switch to the 2pm slot in the winter months of December and January, but the 2024/25 season will see uniformity throughout the season with all games scheduled for the slightly earlier start time.

The AGM also passed a motion to publish annually the complete schedule of matches for all divisions. In preceding seasons, fixtures had been released in batches. This had allowed flexibility for the match secretary to amend the schedule for rearranged and postponed matches, but clubs had expressed a desire to know their entire schedule before the start of the season so for the upcoming campaign all fixtures should be visible on the Fermanagh and Western website before the season starts.

All the teams that finished the 2023/24 season have enrolled again for the new season, with no new teams joining the league. Division One will have 12 teams, with 10 teams in Division Two and nine teams in Division Three. In the Reserve leagues, Division One and Two will both have 11 sides, with Reserve Division Three containing 10 teams.

The last two seasons has witnessed three teams relegated from the top flight in a bid to balance out league numbers following on from the Covid-19 affected campaigns where no relegation was possible, but having now secured a return to 12 teams in Division One the relegation places will reduce to the bottom two sides, with two coming up from Division Two.

The office bearers from last season were all re-elected to their positions, with Sam Dennison continuing as President and Neil Jardine remaining as Chairman. Jardine addressed the meeting and passed on his congratulations to all of the league and cup winners from last season, and expressed his pleasure at the strength of the league as witnessed by their strong showing in the Junior Cup which culminated in Enniskillen Rangers claiming the title.

The Chairman also agreed to consider a proposal from Paul Cassidy of Irvinestown Wanderers to conduct a feasibility study into the possibility of establishing an Intermediate League. Cassidy stated that he thought the first division was predominantly operating intermediate status as it currently stood, and he would encourage the league to report back on what a Fermanagh and Western Division One Intermediate League would look like.

The 2024/25 Fermanagh and Western league season will kick off on Saturday, August 17 with one midweek game scheduled for the first week of the campaign.