Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins said it is "a worry" that Irish Premiership sides will never improve in Europe without a switch to summer football. The Irish Cup winner's manager was speaking after his side's 8-0 aggregate defeat by HJK Helsinki ended their Uefa Conference League qualifying hopes. The Irish Premiership campaign currently takes place over the more traditional months between August and May, but Higgins believes a switch to summer football would benefit the league when facing opposition already mid-season by the time of July qualifiers. "I've been a big believer in summer football," Higgins told BBC Sport NI after the game. There is a worry for me that if we don't move to summer football, then it's never ever going to improve.