Ulster chiefs in traffic approach to PSNI

The Ulster Council are liaising with the PSNI to ensure supporters attending the three football qualifiers games in the province scheduled for the July 12 weekend don’t have any difficulty getting to and from the venues.

Three of the four Round 2B games - Armagh-Galway, Derry-Wexford and Tyrone-Meath - are expected to be staged at the Athletic Grounds, Celtic Park and Healy Park respectively on July 11, a day before the Orangemen’s traditional celebrations.

No times have yet been announced for the games although most if not all of them are expected to be afternoon or early evening throw-ins so as to avoid the bonfires that night. Tyrone last year hosted their qualifier against Armagh on Sunday, July 13 after it was pushed back a day to avoid a clash with “The Twelfth”.

“We’ve obviously taken it into consideration,” said Ulster chairman Martin McAlivney. “The night of the 11th is when the bonfires are staged. We would always talk about matters with the police but we will certainly discussing this situation.

“Because the 12th falls on a Sunday this year, there are no actual parades apart from church parades so we have to be mindful of that. It’s really only for traffic purposes.

“Armagh and Galway won’t be too much of an issue being so close to the border. We just want to make sure nobody is going to be caught up in anything. We are not going to bring people where there might be hassle.

“We would be anxious for people to travel to these games so it’s part of our job to make getting to and from them as easy as possible.

“We would hope that people coming to the games would be home well before the bonfires on the Saturday.”