2024–25 NIFL Championship
| Season | 2024–25 |
|---|---|
← 2023–24 2025–26 → | |
The 2024–25 NIFL Championship (known as the Playr-Fit Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the eighth season of the NIFL Championship (the second-tier of the Irish League - the national football league in Northern Ireland) since gaining senior status.[1]
Teams
[edit]The league consisted of twelve teams; nine teams remaining from the previous season, two teams promoted from the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, and one team relegated from the NIFL Premiership.
Limavady United were promoted as champions of the 2023–24 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (replacing the bottom-placed 2023–24 NIFL Championship team Knockbreda). Intermediate League runners-up Armagh City were also promoted after defeating second-bottom Championship team Dergview in the NIFL Championship play-off to take their place in the league. Newry City were relegated as the bottom-placed team of the 2023–24 NIFL Premiership (replacing the 2023–24 NIFL Championship promoted team Portadown).[2][3]
Stadia and locations
[edit]| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity[4] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annagh United | BMG Arena | Portadown | 1,250 (100 seated) |
| Ards | Clandeboye Park | Bangor | 1,895 (500 seated) |
| Armagh City | Holm Park | Armagh | 2,000 (500 seated) |
| Ballinamallard United | Ferney Park | Ballinamallard | 2,000 (250 seated) |
| Ballyclare Comrades | Dixon Park | Ballyclare | 2,398 (538 Seated) |
| Bangor | Clandeboye Park | Bangor | 1,895 (500 seated) |
| Dundela | Wilgar Park | Belfast | 2,500 |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | Blanchflower Stadium | Belfast | 3,000 (2,000 seated) |
| Institute | Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium | Derry - Londonderry | 3,700 |
| Limavady United | The Showgrounds | Limavady | 524 (274 seated) |
| Newington | Inver Park | Larne | 3,000 |
| Newry City | The Showgrounds | Newry | 2,275 (1,080 seated) |
Regular season
[edit]League table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangor | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 41 | 21 | +20 | 37 | Qualification for Section A |
| 2 | Limavady United | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 30 | 23 | +7 | 28 | |
| 3 | Harland & Wolff Welders | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 36 | 27 | +9 | 26 | |
| 4 | Dundela | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 21 | +5 | 25 | |
| 5 | Armagh City | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 30 | −3 | 23 | |
| 6 | Annagh United | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 22 | |
| 7 | Ards | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 22 | Qualification for Section B |
| 8 | Ballyclare Comrades | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 24 | 33 | −9 | 22 | |
| 9 | Institute | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 26 | −3 | 19 | |
| 10 | Ballinamallard United | 15 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 29 | 26 | +3 | 17 | |
| 11 | Newry City | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 14 | |
| 12 | Newington | 16 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 37 | −22 | 10 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Drawing of lots[5]
Results
[edit]For matches 1–22, each team plays every other team twice (home and away). For matches 23–33, each team plays every other team for the third time (either at home or away).
Matches 34–38
[edit]For the final five matches, the table splits into two halves, with the top six teams forming Section A and the bottom six teams forming Section B. Each team plays every other team in their respective section once. The fixtures are reversed from those played during rounds 23–33, ensuring that teams have played every other team in their respective section twice at home and twice away overall throughout the season.
NIFL Championship play-off
[edit]The eleventh-placed club will face the second-placed club from the 2024–25 NIFL Premier Intermediate League in a two-legged play-off for the final place in the following season's NIFL Championship.
References
[edit]- ^ "Summary - Championship - Northern Ireland". Soccerway.
- ^ "Limavady United secure PIL title and promotion to the Championship". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Newry City relegated as Portadown win Championship". BBC. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "NIFL Championship Venues 2021-2022". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "Rules and Regulations". NIFL. Retrieved 3 September 2021.