Irish League contract concerns for Portadown’s Matthew Tipton

Portadown manager Matthew Tipton has called for clarity over player contracts as Irish League clubs count down towards a resolution timeframe.
Portadown manager Matthew Tipton.Portadown manager Matthew Tipton.
Portadown manager Matthew Tipton.

With UEFA imposing a May 25 deadline on Northern Ireland officials to propose the next step for domestic football, Premiership and Championship committee meetings were scheduled for this week.

Although encouraged by the Irish Football Association’s stated commitment to finish the current campaign, Tipton accepts only uncertainty remains over any potential conclusion - with the current Bluefin Sport Championship league leaders holding on to hope of completing the season as champions on the pitch or via sporting merit.

One issue Tipton is keen to see resolved is the impact on player contracts as June 30 marks the end of this season’s terms and any return to play before then appears impossible given the Government’s lockdown blueprint points to late August or early September the most optimistic date for football.

“In our league the minimum professional contract is one year, with players’ deals running from July 1 to June 30,” said Tipton. “That leaves clubs and players in limbo if we can get the green light to finish the season on the pitch.

“We raised this problem at the very start of the lockdown process and now sit in the middle of May without any clear idea of what’s going to happen, with players in recent weeks asking us questions.

“If we do get to return to play, there is currently no option in place for short-term rolling contracts and even if we do put something in place there are numerous variables.

“Some may not be keen on that commitment for football if still unable to go back to work, given potential health concerns or risk of injury.”

Tipton has also raised concerns over the long-term implications on the transfer window.

“There are all sorts of sporting questions as well regarding how clubs and players approach this new situation,” said the Ports boss. “From Portadown’s viewpoint, we have a squad of 19, with six coming out of contract but verbal agreements in place to re-sign.

“But if the club cannot get promoted to the Premiership that may impact on the decisions we make over players.

“You could find clubs with larger squads, the more established Premiership sides, suddenly forced to offload players due to the financial impact and that could make someone available to Portadown we would previously not be in a position to sign.

“It could also leave clubs more resolved to keep what they have rather than risk the uncertainty of negotiating with other players in such an altered financial landscape.

“Players, too, may opt for the security of staying at a club, despite not traditionally getting many minutes, rather than risk trying to find another team and end up stuck having to accept a worse deal.

“If we start next season in September or beyond there remains flexibility within one-year contracts for those players on 38-week deals.

“But there is still the issue of what to do if we return to finish this season.”

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