Boyce keen to unite home nations

Britain's new FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce will attempt to promote greater unity between the four home associations when he starts his four-year term in June.

Boyce will succeed England's Geoff Thompson who steps down in June as part of an agreement between the four associations in 2007, and he plans twice-yearly meetings at which any issues can be raised. The former Irish FA president's appointment was formally announced at the UEFA Congress in Paris and afterwards he said he was honoured to have been chosen.

Boyce told Press Association Sport: "I have been involved in football since I was a ball-boy at Cliftonville at seven years of age so I can hardly believe that I am going be a vice-president of FIFA."

He added: "It's a great honour for me to follow in the footsteps of people like Harry Cavan and David Will, and it's a big honour for Northern Ireland.

"I intend to have regular meetings with the British associations to see if they have any points that they want me to bring to the table with FIFA.

"I do believe the British associations have to stick together and hopefully this will be one of the ways we will have more regular contact."

Cavan served as FIFA vice-president for 30 years and Will for 17 but Boyce said he is only expecting a four-year term in office.

He added: "I am only looking at this for four years, I will be 71 then and I am not looking any further than that."