2023–24 NIFL Championship

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.

NIFL Championship
Season2023–24
Dates5 Aug 2023 – 26 Apr 2024
ChampionsPortadown
PromotedPortadown
RelegatedDergview
Knockbreda

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).

Locations of the 2023–24 NIFL Championship teams
Locations of the Belfast-based 2023–24 NIFL Championship teams

Stadia and locations
Club Stadium Location Capacity[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
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1]
1 Portadown (C, P) 38 22 5 11 74 53 +21 71 Promotion to NIFL Premiership
2 Institute 38 20 9 9 60 43 +17 69 Qualification for the NIFL Premiership play-off
3 Bangor 38 20 8 10 77 44 +33 68
4 Annagh United 38 20 8 10 61 50 +11 68
5 Dundela 38 21 4 13 74 60 +14 67
6 Harland & Wolff Welders 38 17 5 16 70 63 +7 56
7 Ballyclare Comrades 38 18 7 13 73 60 +13 61
8 Newington 38 16 4 18 65 68 −3 52
9 Ballinamallard United 38 15 6 17 51 51 0 51
10 Ards 38 9 10 19 60 69 −9 37
11 Dergview (R) 38 6 9 23 41 79 −38 27 Qualification for the NIFL Championship play-off
12 Knockbreda (R) 38 5 3 30 34 100 −66 18 Relegation to NIFL Premier Intermediate League
Source: NIFL Championship
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[2]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league was split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).

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).

Home \ Away ANN ARD BMD BCC BAG DGV DUN HAR INS KNB NEW POR ANN ARD BMD BCC BAG DGV DUN HAR INS KNB NEW POR
Annagh United — 0–0 0–0 2–1 0–4 3–0 5–2 2–1 1–1 2–0 0–3 3–1 — 2–0 — — — — 4–0 4–3 0–0 — 2–0 2–2
Ards 2–3 — 2–2 2–2 2–2 4–2 4–0 1–1 2–3 1–1 1–3 1–2 — — 0–1 — — 2–0 — 0–1 2–2 1–2 — 1–3
Ballinamallard United 2–0 1–1 — 1–0 0–3 4–2 0–0 1–2 0–1 3–0 1–2 3–0 1–0 — — — 0–4 — — 4–0 0–0 6–1 — 1–2
Ballyclare Comrades 0–0 6–3 2–1 — 3–2 2–2 0–1 3–1 1–3 3–0 3–0 2–1 2–2 3–0 3–1 — 2–3 — — 1–4 — — 2–0 —
Bangor 3–1 1–0 0–3 4–0 — 3–0 1–2 1–1 1–1 4–1 2–1 2–2 2–1 3–1 — — — — 3–0 — 0–1 5–0 — —
Dergview 0–1 0–3 1–0 1–3 2–1 — 0–1 0–5 2–2 5–0 2–1 2–3 0–1 — 0–0 1–1 1–1 — — 0–2 — — — —
Dundela 6–2 0–1 2–1 4–0 3–2 3–2 — 2–1 1–2 3–1 4–2 2–0 — 4–0 1–0 1–1 — 5–1 — — — — — 1–1
Harland & Wolff Welders 2–0 0–3 4–2 4–2 0–0 2–3 2–1 — 4–1 2–1 2–2 1–0 — — — — 1–2 — 2–1 — 0–1 4–1 3–1 1–2
Institute 1–3 3–2 1–0 1–0 4–0 2–0 1–2 2–1 — 2–0 1–3 1–0 — — — 3–0 — 0–0 2–4 — — — 2–0 1–2
Knockbreda 0–1 2–3 1–2 2–4 1–5 2–0 1–3 2–1 1–4 — 1–3 0–2 1–4 — — 2–0 — 1–2 0–1 — 0–3 — — —
Newington 3–0 4–1 1–3 1–2 2–1 3–2 3–1 0–2 2–1 2–0 — 0–2 — 1–0 1–2 — 1–3 3–0 1–3 — — 2–2 — —
Portadown 4–1 4–2 2–0 2–1 0–1 4–1 1–3 5–2 1–0 3–1 5–1 — — — — 2–2 2–1 3–2 — — — 2–0 0–4 —
Source: NIFL Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

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 A
Home \ Away ANN BAG DUN HAR INS POR
Annagh United — 0–0 — — — —
Bangor — — — 3–0 — 0–3
Dundela 0–1 1–3 — 2–3 3–4 —
Harland & Wolff Welders 1–2 — — — — —
Institute 0–2 1–1 — 2–2 — —
Portadown 2–4 — 1–1 3–1 0–1 —
Source: NIFL Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Section B
Home \ Away ARD BMD BCC DGV KNB NEW
Ards — — 1–2 — — 1–1
Ballinamallard United 0–5 — 0–4 2–0 — 3–1
Ballyclare Comrades — — — 2–1 4–0 —
Dergview 2–2 — — — 1–1 1–1
Knockbreda 0–3 2–0 — — — 3–4
Newington — — 2–4 — — —
Source: NIFL Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

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.

First leg
30 April 2024 Armagh City 1–1 Dergview Armagh
20:00 McConnell 69' Walsh 34' Stadium: Holm Park

Second leg
3 May 2024 Dergview1–1 (a.e.t.)
(2–2 agg.)
(4–5 p)		 Armagh City Castlederg
20:00 Lynch 111' (pen.) Mullen 107' Stadium: Darragh Park
Penalties

References
  1. "NIFL Championship Venues 2021-2022". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  2. "Rules and Regulations". NIFL. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
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