NIFL Championship
Country | Northern Ireland |
---|---|
Number of teams | 12 |
Level on pyramid | 2 |
Promotion to | NIFL Premiership |
Relegation to | NIFL Premier Intermediate League |
Domestic cup(s) |
Irish Cup IFA Intermediate Cup |
League cup(s) | Northern Ireland League Cup |
Current champions | Ards (2015–16) |
2016–17 NIFL Championship |
The NIFL Championship is the second division of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland.
It was founded in 2008 as the Premier Intermediate League for members of the previous IFA Intermediate League that met the new stricter membership criteria,[1] though was marketed as the IFA Championship.[2] In 2009, it was extended to two divisions: Championship 1 and Championship 2 with promotion and relegation between the two.[3] In 2013, the Championship and IFA Premiership were replaced by a single Northern Ireland Football League, independent of the Irish Football Association (IFA).
2016 restructuring
Under reforms agreed by the NIFL clubs in 2014, from 2016, Championship 1 acquires senior status, continuing as the NIFL Championship, while Championship 2 continued as the Premier Intermediate League, retaining its intermediate status.[4]
Current NIFL Championship clubs (2016–17)
See also
- NIFL Premiership
- NIFL Premier Intermediate League
- IFA Interim Intermediate League
- IFA Reserve League
- IFA Intermediate Cup
- George Wilson Cup
- Irish Cup
- Irish League Cup
- County Antrim Shield
- Steel & Sons Cup
- Mid-Ulster Cup
- Bob Radcliffe Cup
- North West Senior Cup
- Craig Memorial Cup
- Northern Ireland football league system
References
- ↑ "Premier Intermediate League (PIL)". Irish Football Association. irishfa.com. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ↑ "IFA Championship". Irish Football Association. irishfa.com. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ↑ Ladbrokes.com Championship 2009/10
- ↑ Northern Ireland Football League (2014). NI Football League Restructure Proposal.
General
- Malcolm Brodie (ed.), Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook (various editions)