Irish League gets TV deal

Irish League football has been boosted by TV revenue

The Irish League has secured a television deal which will bring in a six-figure sum.

The agreement is with the BBC and UTV and will run for three years.

League president Jim Semple said the deal meant a lot to football in Northern Ireland.

"The Irish League does not have a lot of revenue coming in, so this deal will be a big plus to our finances," said Semple.

"In our terms it is lucrative and we deeply appreciate what the BBC and UTV have done.

"The negotiations lasted several months and the league and I are delighted with the outcome.

'Continued interest'

"It shows how much the BBC and UTV value coverage of our game here."

A spokesman for BBC Northern Ireland said the company was pleased to renew its fotball contract for a further three years.

"The BBC recognises the continued interest in the fortunes of the Irish League among the local community and beyond.

"The action will be showcased on the Final Score programme on BBC1 at 1700 every Saturday, across Radio Ulster's Sportsound programme and on our Sport Online and Ceefax services."