2023–24 NIFL Championship explained

Competition:NIFL Championship
Season:2023–24
Dates:5 Aug 2023 – 26 Apr 2024
Winners:Portadown
Promoted:Portadown
Relegated:Dergview
Knockbreda
Prevseason:2022–23
Nextseason:2024–25

The 2023–24 NIFL Championship (known as the Playr-Fit Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the seventh season of the NIFL Championship (the second-tier of the Irish League - the national football league in Northern Ireland) since gaining senior status. The season began on 5 August 2023 and concluded on 26 April 2024.

The champions (Portadown) were promoted to the 2024–25 NIFL Premiership. The runners-up (Institute) qualified for the NIFL Premiership play-off, losing and remaining in the league. The eleventh-placed team (Dergview) qualified for the NIFL Championship play-off, losing and being relegated to the 2024–25 NIFL Premier Intermediate League alongside the bottom-placed team (Knockbreda).

Teams

The league consisted of twelve teams; ten teams remaining from the previous season, one team promoted from the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, and one team relegated from the NIFL Premiership. Bangor were promoted to the league as champions of the 2022–23 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (replacing the second-placed 2023–24 NIFL Championship team Warrenpoint Town, who were relegated after being refused a NIFL Championship license). Portadown were relegated to the league as the bottom-placed team of the 2022–23 NIFL Premiership (replacing the 2022–23 NIFL Championship promoted team Loughgall).

Stadia and locations

ClubStadiumLocationCapacity[1]
Annagh UnitedTandragee RoadPortadown1,250 (100 seated)
ArdsBangor Fuels ArenaBangor1,895 (500 seated)
Ballinamallard UnitedFerney ParkBallinamallard2,000 (250 seated)
Ballyclare ComradesDixon ParkBallyclare5,333
BangorClandeboye ParkBangor1,895 (500 seated)
DergviewDarragh ParkCastlederg1,200
DundelaWilgar ParkBelfast2,500
Harland & Wolff WeldersTillysburn ParkBelfast3,000
InstituteRyan McBride Brandywell StadiumDerry8,200
KnockbredaBreda ParkBelfast1,000
NewingtonSolitudeBelfast8,000 (3,000 seated)
PortadownShamrock ParkPortadown3,940 (2,765 seated)

League table

Results

Matches 1–33

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

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.

Section B

NIFL Championship play-off

The eleventh-placed club (Dergview) faced the second-placed club from the 2023–24 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (Armagh City) in a two-legged play-off for the final place in the following season's Championship.

Second leg

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NIFL Championship Venues 2021-2022 . Soccerway . 10 September 2021.