The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Boyle Sports NIFL Championship for sponsorship reasonsBoyle sports revealed as New Title Partner, from NIFootballLeague.com) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championship can be promoted to the highest national division – the NIFL Premiership. The third semi professional level – the NIFL Premier Intermediate League - was scrapped at the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season and replaced by the new NAFL Conference League, launching in 2026.
In its current format, 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, though was marketed as the IFA Championship. In 2009, it was extended to two divisions: Championship 1 and Championship 2 with promotion and relegation between the two. In 2013, the Championship and Premiership became part of the Northern Ireland Football League, independent of the Irish Football Association (IFA).
Under reforms agreed by NIFL clubs in 2014, Championship 1 acquired senior status from the 2016–17 season onwards, continuing as the NIFL Championship. Championship 2 became the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, retaining its intermediate status.Northern Ireland Football League (2014). NI Football League Restructure Proposal.
The second level in Northern Irish football was known as the B Division from 1951 to 1995, the Irish League First Division from 1995 to 2003, the Irish First Division from 2003 to 2008, and the IFA Championship from 2008 to 2013.
History The B Division of the Irish League was founded in 1951, and originally consisted of the reserve teams of the senior Irish League clubs alongside some of the top intermediate clubs. It effectively replaced the Irish Intermediate League, which had been the de facto second tier league below the Irish League since 1915. The Irish Intermediate League continued alongside the B Division until 1954 when it ceased to exist and its remaining clubs joined the B Division.
The B Division was split geographically into North and South sections in 1974 (with a play-off to determine the winners in 1974–75 and 1975–76), and then into Section 1 (containing the intermediate clubs) and Section 2 (the reserve teams of senior clubs) in 1977. There was no promotion to the senior Irish League, although clubs could be elected to the senior league; Larne were elected in 1972 to replace Derry City, Carrick Rangers and Newry City were elected in 1983 when the Irish League expanded from 12 to 14 clubs, and Ballyclare Comrades and Omagh Town in 1990 when the league expanded to 16 clubs.
A new second tier was created in 1995 when the Irish League split into a Premier Division and First Division, each with eight clubs and automatic promotion and relegation introduced. In 2003 the Irish Football League was wound up, with the top division becoming the Irish Premier League and the second division becoming the Irish First Division. This continued for five seasons, until the NIFL Championship was created.
NIFL Championship will expand to 16 teams from 2026–27, with four teams from the final season of the Intermediate League automatically promoted. The first sixteen team season will initially see a double round-robin of 30 games, followed by a further seven games following a mid table split.
Current clubs ClubStadiumLocationCapacityAnnagh UnitedBMG ArenaPortadown1,250 (100 seated)ArdsClandeboye ParkBangor2,000 (500 seated)Armagh CityHolm ParkArmagh2,000 (500 seated)Ballinamallard UnitedFerney ParkBallinamallard2,000 (250 seated)DundelaWilgar ParkBelfast2,500 Glenavon Mourneview Park Lurgan 3,302 (all seated)Harland & Wolff WeldersBlanchflower StadiumBelfast2,000InstituteRyan McBride Brandywell StadiumDerry3,700LoughgallLakeview ParkLoughgall1,300 (800 seated)Moyola ParkMill MeadowCastledawson2,000NewingtonSolitudeBelfast3,054Newry CityNewry ShowgroundsNewry2,809 (831 seated)Queen's UniversityBlanchflower StadiumBelfast2,000Rathfriland RangersIveagh ParkRathfriland1,000Strabane AthleticLimavady ShowgroundsLimavady1,500 (274 seated)Warrenpoint TownMilltownWarrenpoint1,450
List of second-tier champions SeasonChampionsIrish League B Division1951–52Linfield Swifts1952–53Linfield Swifts1953–54Cliftonville Olympic1954–55Larne1955–56Banbridge Town1956–57Larne1957–58Ards II1958–59Glentoran II1959–60Newry Town1960–61Ballyclare Comrades1961–62Carrick Rangers1962–63Ballyclare Comrades1963–64Larne1964–65Larne1965–66Larne1966–67Larne1967–68Dundela1968–69Larne1969–70Larne1970–71Larne1971–72Larne (elected to Irish League)1972–73Carrick Rangers1973–74Ballyclare Comrades1974–75Carrick Rangers (north/south play-off winners)1975–76Linfield Swifts (north/south play-off winners)1976–77Carrick Rangers and Dundela (shared)Irish League B Division Section 11977–78Ballyclare Comrades1978–79Carrick Rangers1979–80Ballyclare Comrades1980–81Newry Town1981–82Dundela1982–83Carrick Rangers (elected to Irish League)1983–84Limavady United1984–85Chimney Corner1985–86Dundela1986–87RUC1987–88Dundela1988–89Ballyclare Comrades1989–90Dundela1990–91Dundela1991–92Dundela1992–93Limavady United1993–94Dundela1994–95LoughgallIrish League First Division1995–96Coleraine1996–97Ballymena United1997–98Newry Town1998–99Distillery1999–00Omagh Town2000–01Ards2001–02Lisburn Distillery2002–03Dungannon SwiftsIrish First Division2003–04Loughgall2004–05Armagh City2005–06Crusaders2006–07Institute2007–08Loughgall (not promoted)IFA Championship2008–09Portadown2009–10Loughgall (not promoted)2010–11Carrick Rangers2011–12Ballinamallard United2012–13ArdsNIFL Championship2013–14Institute2014–15Carrick Rangers2015–16Ards2016–17Warrenpoint Town2017–18Institute2018–19Larne2019–20Portadown2021–22Newry City2022–23Loughgall2023–24Portadown2024–25Bangor2025–26Limavady United
Knock-out competitions In 1982, a knockout competition was introduced, known as the B Division Knockout Cup. It was discontinued after 2002, but a new Intermediate League Cup was played between 2004 and 2008. In 2008–09, there was no knockout competition for Championship clubs, who participated with Premiership clubs in the Irish League Cup. In the 2009–10 season only, while Championship 1 clubs continued to participate in the Irish League Cup, a Championship 2 League Cup was inaugurated for those in Championship 2. From 2010–11 onwards, all Championship clubs from divisions 1 and 2 also competed in the Irish League Cup, and the Championship 2 League Cup was abolished.
SeasonChampionsB Division Knockout Cup1982–83 RUC1983–84 Ballyclare Comrades1984–85 RUC1985–86 RUC1986–87 Chimney Corner1987–88 Dundela1988–89 Ballyclare Comrades1989–90 Omagh Town1990–91 Dundela1991–92 Dundela1992–93 Limavady United1993–94 Dungannon Swifts1994–95 Dundela1995–96 Limavady United1996–97 Institute1997–98 Harland & Wolff Welders1998–99 Ballymoney United1999–00 Moyola Park2000–01 Harland & Wolff Welders2001–02 Harland & Wolff WeldersIntermediate League Cup2004–05 Bangor2005–06 Crusaders2006–07 Institute2007–08 LoughgallChampionship 2 League Cup2009–10 Harland & Wolff Welders
See also 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
External links Malcolm Brodie (ed.), Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook (various editions)