The Green and White Army will be able to watch the Northern Ireland men’s Under-21 team in action in a home Euro qualifier next week – free of charge.
John Schofield’s team begin their quest to reach the UEFA U21 European Championship finals in 2023 with an away match against Malta tomorrow (3 September).
And next Tuesday (7 September) they will take on Slovakia in their second match in Qualifying Group C at Mourneview Park.
Fans are welcome to attend the Euro qualifier in Lurgan, which kicks off at 7.30pm, and entry is free.
However, there will be entry requirements for spectators.
To gain entry to the match all fans aged 11 and over must have available on request:
1. Proof of full vaccination by showing your Covid-19 Vaccination Card that was issued to you when you received your vaccinations; you must also show valid Photographic ID matching the name on your vaccination card.
- other government issued proofs of full vaccination are also acceptable, provided you also produce valid Photo ID.
- your proof of vaccination must reflect that you have had both doses and that your second dose was administered at least 14 days prior to the game.
2. If you cannot demonstrate that you have received both doses you will need to show proof of a negative Covid test as follows:
- NHS Lateral Flow test taken no more than 48 hours prior to your arrival at the stadium; you report your result online here and have available your NHS email or text notification of your result.
- Proof of a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival at the stadium.
3. Alternatively you can also gain entry by demonstrating proof of natural Covid antibodies based upon a positive PCR test within 180 days of the game (including 10 days self-isolation following the result).
Northern Ireland are facing Spain, Russia, Slovakia, Lithuania and Malta in the qualifiers for the 2023 U21 Euros; the final tournament is set to be staged in Georgia and Romania.
October will be a tough month for Schofield’s side as they play Russia, the second seeds in the group, away on the 8th followed by a trip to face top seeds Spain on the 12th.
Next up is a home match against Lithuania on 12 November, while Malta’s U21s will pay a visit to Northern Ireland on 16 November.The qualifying series will then continue next spring when Northern Ireland will be away to Slovakia on 25 March and at home to Russia on 29 March.
Their penultimate match in the group is a home fixture against Spain on 3 June and the U21s will finish their campaign away to Lithuania on 7 June.