Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins has voiced his strong support for the Irish League to adopt summer football, citing the club's recent Uefa Conference League exit as evidence of the need for change. After an 8-0 aggregate defeat to HJK Helsinki, Higgins expressed concern that without a switch to summer football, the league's competitiveness, particularly in European qualifiers, will not improve.

"I have to be honest, I think that to stop these kinds of results, to help our teams in Europe... we have to change that," Higgins stated. He believes playing during the summer months would better match the condition and level required for European competition, preventing future outcomes like Coleraine's, where they were outclassed by seasoned professionals.

Coleraine's exit, following those of Linfield and Glentoran, leaves Larne as the sole Northern Irish representative with a chance for a European group stage spot. Higgins also highlighted recent injury setbacks for Coleraine, including their club captain and goalkeeper Ryan Schofield, as further compounding challenges for the team as the Irish Premiership season approaches.