Brian Kerr: All-island league proposal a 'magnificent compromise'

Three years of work has resulted in a plan to run separate leagues for two rounds of fixtures before linking them for a third

Virgin Media Sport analyst Brian Kerr: ‘We’re slipping further behind many of the middle-ranking teams that we should be up with.’ Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Brian Kerr believes the rather complicated vision being put forward for an all-island football league is a “magnificent compromise” that could drive the game — and the two national teams — forward on both sides of the Irish border.

Three years of work by Kieran Lucid and others, including Dutch consultants Hypercube, has resulted in a plan to run separate leagues for two rounds of fixtures before linking them for a third. It’s also a solution that would protect existing European places and cup competitions.