Ace to welcome having time off for match (5)
I believe the answer is:
agree
'time off for match' is the definition.
'agree' can be an answer for 'time' (thesaurus). I'm not certain of the 'off for match' bit.
'ace to welcome' is the wordplay.
'ace' becomes 'a' (abbreviation).
'to welcome' becomes 'gree' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'a'+'gree'='AGREE'
'having' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for agree that I've seen before include "See eye to eye" , "Allow" , "'Birds in their little nest . . . . .'" , "concede" , "Concur, coincide" .)