League of Ireland players want an annual four-week blackout where their fitness activity is not tracked by clubs.
It comes on the back of a PFA Ireland survey that found 95% of players in the league want the mid-season break to continue.
Shelbourne manager Damien Duff has been critical of the two-week suspension of play - although one of those weeks was for the international window.
Ahead of the May 31 final round of matches before the pause, he labelled the break ‘amateurish’ and ‘a week on the gargle’.
Sign up for our League of Ireland news service on Whats App
Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This week, Duff appeared to row back slightly and while he felt it was ‘strange’ to have a break, he admitted it had come ‘at the right time’ for his team.
Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley said the break should stay as it benefits players in the long run, but he would like the overall season extended instead.
PFA Ireland surveyed 319 players in the league, with 95.3% voting in favour of the break continuing - but they raised other related concerns.
And chief among them is a demand for a four-week blackout over the winter close-season, where fitness-related physical activity isn’t tracked by technology.
PFA Ireland boss Stephen McGuinness told Mirror Sport: “The feeling from the players is they need to have proper down time in between one season and the next.
“Clubs use vests and technology to track players for runs and mileage in the off season, but the feedback from players is that this is like working from home.
“Players keep on top of their fitness anyway during the close season, but they want a proper break whereby not everything is being tracked on a daily and weekly basis.”
McGuinness believes clubs will be understanding and wants the provision officially inserted into standard player contracts, rather than just an informal agreement.
McGuinness continued: “We were at a conference in Sweden this week where this topic was widely discussed, and there’s talk of mid-season breaks coming into every league.
“The mid-season break is not the issue as players are only getting five days off. They’re still in the middle of their season and are not going to lose fitness in that time.
“It’s the off-season that we’re concerned about as it’s a relatively short window and players need to switch off and have a proper break.
“A lot of our players feel they are constantly working from home with these tracking devices, having to run certain targets or maintain a certain amount of mileage.”
And McGuinness added: “Plenty of people in the league have had their say lately on the mid-season break and everyone is entitled to their opinion.
“But it’s important that we also hear and listen to the players’ position on this matter, and from any other aspects arising from it.
“And the clear picture we’ve got from this survey is that we’re seeking a four-week blackout on tracking technology in between seasons.”
