Dungannon v Annagh Utd play-off dates confirmed

Warrenpoint Town's statement said they remained confident that the future of the club "can be agreed"

The Northern Ireland Football League has announced that the Irish Premiership promotion/relegation play-off between Dungannon Swifts and Annagh United will go ahead next week.

At the same time of NIFL's announcement on Tuesday night, Warrenpoint said they would not be pursuing arbitration.

Warrenpoint said instead they would "continue the dialogue".

The south Down club said this would take place "with our football family in NIFL and our governing association partners at the Irish FA", adding that they "remain confident that through this approach, the bright future of Warrenpoint Town Football Club can be agreed".

Warrenpoint Town finished the season in second place in the Championship which meant they were scheduled to take part in the Irish Premiership promotion/relegation play-off against Dungannon, who finished second from bottom in the top flight.

However, Warrenpoint's failure to pay a tax bill by the stipulated time led to the IFA's licensing committee not granting their Championship licence for next season.

Warrenpoint considered seeking arbitration

Warrenpoint's appeal against that decision was rejected last week and the club initially indicated that it was considering taking the matter to arbitration.

However, Warrenpoint's decision not to do this has enabled NIFL to confirm the play-off dates for next week with the first leg taking place on Tuesday, 30 May before the return game at Stangmore Park two days later.

On the club licensing section of the Irish FA's website, it says that "in 2019, NIFL [Northern Ireland Football League] made the decision to extend mandatory licensing to all clubs participating within its third tier, the Premier Intermediate League (PIL). This was implemented for the first time during the 2020-21 season for the award of licences for season 2021-22".

Those rules appeared to suggest that Warrenpoint could be forced to drop out of the NIFL structure following their rules breach.

However, Warrenpoint's statement on Tuesday night indicates that they remain optimistic about the club's future prospects.

"We aim to continue to build association football in the south Down area, providing a community based club and a pathway for young people," the Warrenpoint statement concluded.

NIFL also announced on Tuesday night that the Championship promotion/relegation play-off between Ballymacash Rangers and Knockbreda would take place on 30 May and 3 June.