NI games set for terrestrial TV

Northern Ireland's home qualifying matches are set to return to terrestrial television following an expected government ruling.

It is understood the games will be moved to the list of events which means they must be shown free-to-air.

The decision comes following a review commissioned by Whitehall at the end of last year.

The main Northern Ireland supporters' group said it had "mixed feelings" about the move.

Its chair Gary McAllister said the fact that more people would be able to watch the games had to be balanced with an expected loss of revenue for the governing body, the Irish Football Association.

"Down the middle"

"The money that has come into the game through the Sky deal has been very useful, especially for what is obviously one of the smaller governing bodies," he said.

"But then you have to think about people who haven't been able to see the games, maybe older people who don't have satellite. It's a difficult one and I'm down the middle on it."

Sky signed a deal with the IFA in 2007, giving the broadcaster exclusive rights on Northern Ireland's home qualifying games until the end of the European Championship qualifiers in November 2011.

As part of the deal, Sky have also shown several Irish League games a season, the first time they have been broadcast to an audience throughout the United Kingdom.

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