Northern Ireland vs Switzerland (21/03/2025)

Traditionally the meeting has taken place during the last week of January each year, however we decided to change it up to tie meetings in more closely with the schedule for Northern Ireland games this year. During the meeting we provide our club representatives with an overview of the work carried out during the year. Admittedly the slightly later date for the gathering skews the figures slightly, but even I was surprised to see that my committee colleagues and I have attended 100 meetings and events since January last year. That doesn’t include travelling away for our Northern Ireland Fans’ Embassy site visits ahead of away games and other forums related to that which are held in other countries. It’s a massive undertaking, however we’re very proud to do what we do. Since the last home game we’ve continued to focus on our main areas of activity. Our ‘Spirit of 2016’ online supporters club has attracted good interest since its launch, with more than 150 members signed up to date. You can apply to join by emailing so16nisc@gmail.com and there’s no cost to become a member of the club. At the time of writing we are also expecting two more supporters’ clubs to affiliate to the Amalgamation, with another group considering forming themselves into a club. As we often say, fans are stronger when we work together. In November I travelled to Cardiff to attend a UEFA Safety and Security Conference, which featured representatives from eight countries. Northern Ireland was the only one of the eight to feature a fan representative as part of its delegation, and it The Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters’ Clubs held its AGM just this week. WE’RE PROUD TO DO WHAT WE DO

was another platform we were able to use to speak about the experience of fans at away games. More recently we’ve sat down with the Irish FA and Hospitality Belfast to provide some feedback about the kiosk service at games. It’s something that many people have raised with us during our visits to our clubs and we hope that things such as the waiting times, especially at half-time, can be improved. Our ‘Windsor Roar’ initiative has received a lot of good feedback and we’re not short of suggestions about the type of things the GAWA would like to see and hear at games. The fantastic Rachel Lutton entertained everyone with a couple of Northern Ireland related tunes on her violin pre match against Belarus, we had additional flags in the Kop and the kids from Springfield Primary School helped teach us all a few new songs in their video with the Northern Ireland mascot, Danny Boy. There’s more to follow, and a word of thanks to all those who contributed to our fundraiser where we had a Daniel Ballard shirt up for grabs. Watch out for another in the autumn and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and invite your friends to do the same. It helps us to spread the word when we plan match activity. GARY McALLISTER AMALGAMATION OF OFFICIAL NORTHERN IRELAND SUPPORTERS’ CLUBS

FOLLOW US AT @WGMac

TheAmalgamation Join Spirit of 2016 NISC email so16nisc@gmail.com www.aonisc.co.uk

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