So, 2023 is almost at an end and 2024 is nigh upon us.
Such is the cliché, it is a time to reflect on what has come and gone, looking forward to the exciting new horizons a new year can bring.
This 12-month span proved a memorable one in the Irish League, arguably capped by Larne’s historic first-ever top-flight title success in May.
There is much to take pride in; it’s a different vibe to other football climates in that everyone is answerable to each other, a proud locality to it where match-goers and clubs are inextricably linked.
That is something that appeals to an increasing number of people, that they can get out and enjoy a match in the flesh rather than be cosied up in their armchairs watching basically the same thing on television.
In the Premier League, fans have bore witness to the ever-increasing agitation over the controversial video assistant referee – best known by the VAR abbreviation that brings shudders for some when it is mentioned in their earshot.
The sight of minute-long delays to determine marginal decisions has become a bane that many deem to be taking the soul out of the sport.
Confusion over the handball rule, just what body parts must be behind the last man to constitute an offside or exactly what contact is required for a penalty are some of those questions that have been asked in the half-decade video tech has been in operation.
Another point of discussion is whether it has actually improved the standard of refereeing.
Now, that latter point is subjective. After all, officials are always in the firing line; whether their decisions are good or bad, there will always be debate among the terraces.
But what connoisseurs of a non-VAR-populated Irish League have come to appreciate, often subconsciously, is purity.
Those in favour of the technology – and that includes fresh-faced Irish FA Head of Refereeing and ex-Premier League whistler Mike Riley – argue that it will lift the status of Northern Irish officials for European competition and contribute to their development in their craft.
Given VAR is unlikely to depart the global game any time soon, they add that it will bring the Irish League into more modern times.
Riley says he will implement it should clubs desire it in the game, but that in itself raises new talking points.
Will the teams have to at least part-finance it and, if so, how? And what will it look like? It can’t be of the standard across the water, so is it a case of planting a camera on the goalline and plastering the title ‘VAR Light’ over it?
Is there backing for it, too? A supporters poll is yet to be conducted, but the Sunday Life asked all 12 Premiership bosses for their views and six of them said ‘no’.
Yes, we should always be looking to strive for improvement in the game and, yes, we should find ways to counter abuse of referees in domestic football – it is a scourge, and its influence is particularly profound at the lower levels.
But if VAR is less than workable with the wealth of the Premier League backing it up, how can it function in Northern Ireland?
One suspects unanswered questions combined with unpopularity will make it hard to win people over.
Featured image from Yahoo! Sports.
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