The 2013–14 NIFL Championship (known as the Belfast Telegraph Championship for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the sixth season since its establishment after a major overhaul of the league system in Northern Ireland. This was the first season that the league was operated by the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL), which took over from the Irish Football Association (IFA) for the 2013–14 season onwards.[2] The season began on 9 August 2013 and ended on 10 May 2014.
| Season | 2013–14 |
|---|---|
← 2012–13 2014–15 → | |
Institute won the Championship 1 title, winning promotion back to the top flight for the first time since the 2009–10 season.[3] In the bottom two, Limavady United and Coagh United were relegated to Championship 2. Armagh City and PSNI replaced them in Championship 1, after finishing first and second in Championship 2. For the first time since the Championship was inaugurated in 2008, a club was relegated to regional football. Killymoon Rangers finished bottom of Championship 2 and were relegated to a regional division for the following season. Also leaving Championship 2 was Chimney Corner. In July 2014, the club announced that they would be resigning from the Championship to join the Ballymena & Provincial League for the following season.[4]
Team changes from 2012–13
editArds were last season's winners of Championship 1, achieving promotion to the 2013–14 NIFL Premiership.[5] Lisburn Distillery replaced them for this season's Championship 1, after finishing in 12th place in the previous season's Premiership.[6] Championship 1 runners-up Warrenpoint Town were also promoted, by defeating Donegal Celtic on the away goals rule after the promotion/relegation play-off ended 2–2 on aggregate.[7]
As a result of Newry City's expulsion the previous season, only the 13th-placed club, Tobermore United, were relegated to Championship 2. Championship 2 winners Knockbreda and runners-up Ballyclare Comrades were both promoted to Championship 1. The last remaining place in Championship 2 was filled by the winner of a two-legged promotion play-off between Mid-Ulster Football League champions Dollingstown and Northern Amateur Football League champions Newington YC.[8] Newington YC won the play-off on the away goals rule after the tie ended 4–4 on aggregate, to gain promotion to Championship 2 for the first time.[9]
Promoted from Championship 1 to the Premiership
- Ards (1st in Championship 1)
- Warrenpoint Town (2nd in Championship 1 - play-off winners)
Relegated from the Premiership to Championship 1
- Donegal Celtic (11th in IFA Premiership - play-off losers)
- Lisburn Distillery (12th in IFA Premiership)
Promoted from Championship 2 to Championship 1
- Knockbreda (1st in Championship 2)
- Ballyclare Comrades (2nd in Championship 2)
Relegated from Championship 1 to Championship 2
- Tobermore United (13th in Championship 1)
Promoted from Northern Amateur Football League to Championship 2
- Newington YC (1st in NAFL Premier Division - promoted via play-off)
Championship 1
edit| Champions | Institute |
|---|---|
| Promoted | Institute |
| Relegated | Coagh United Limavady United |
| Matches played | 182 |
| Goals scored | 661 (3.63 per match) |
| Biggest home win | D. Celtic 6–1 Coagh Institute 6–1 Larne Dergview 5–0 Bangor Bangor 5–0 Coagh Bangor 6–1 Loughgall |
| Biggest away win | Coagh 1–6 Carrick Dergview 0–5 Knockbreda Limavady 0–5 Institute Limavady 0–5 Carrick Coagh 1–6 Bangor D. Celtic 0–5 Institute D. Celtic 1–6 Ballyclare |
| Highest scoring | Loughgall 5–5 Institute Loughgall 6–4 Ballyclare |
← 2012–13 2014–15 → | |
Stadia and locations
edit
| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyclare Comrades | Dixon Park | Ballyclare | 1,800 (500 seated) |
| Bangor | Clandeboye Park | Bangor | 2,850 (500 seated) |
| Carrick Rangers | Taylors Avenue | Carrickfergus | 6,000 (400 seated) |
| Coagh United | Hagan Park | Coagh | 2,000 (179 seated) |
| Dergview | Darragh Park | Castlederg | 1,200 (100 seated) |
| Donegal Celtic | Donegal Celtic Park | Belfast | 2,330 (650 seated) |
| Dundela | Wilgar Park | Belfast | 2,500 (100 seated) |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | Tillysburn Park | Belfast | 3,000 (100 seated) |
| Institute | Riverside Stadium | Drumahoe | 3,110 (1,540 seated) |
| Knockbreda | Breda Park | Knockbreda | 1,000 (100 seated) |
| Larne | Inver Park | Larne | 1,100 (656 seated) |
| Limavady United | The Showgrounds | Limavady | 524 (174 seated) |
| Lisburn Distillery | New Grosvenor Stadium | Ballyskeagh | 7,000 (540 seated) |
| Loughgall | Lakeview Park | Loughgall | 3,000 (180 seated) |
League table
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Institute (C, P) | 26 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 72 | 35 | +37 | 54 | Promotion to NIFL Premiership |
| 2 | Bangor[a] | 26 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 65 | 39 | +26 | 53 | |
| 3 | Knockbreda | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 57 | 36 | +21 | 46 | |
| 4 | Dundela | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 46 | |
| 5 | Carrick Rangers | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 52 | 34 | +18 | 46 | |
| 6 | Harland & Wolff Welders | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 41 | |
| 7 | Ballyclare Comrades | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 53 | 50 | +3 | 34 | |
| 8 | Loughgall | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 48 | 56 | −8 | 33 | |
| 9 | Larne | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 32 | 47 | −15 | 32 | |
| 10 | Lisburn Distillery | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 43 | 49 | −6 | 31 | |
| 11 | Donegal Celtic | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 41 | 55 | −14 | 29 | |
| 12 | Dergview | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 30 | 46 | −16 | 26 | |
| 13 | Coagh United (R) | 26 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 38 | 74 | −36 | 21 | Relegation to NIFL Championship 2 |
| 14 | Limavady United (R) | 26 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 19 | 59 | −40 | 15 |
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored; 4th head-to-head points; 5th head-to-head goal difference
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Bangor were ineligible for the promotion play-off, as they did not attain the required licence for promotion.
Results
editEach team will play every other team twice (once at home, and once away) for a total of 26 games.
Championship 2
edit| Champions | Armagh City |
|---|---|
| Promoted | Armagh City PSNI |
| Relegated | Chimney Corner (resigned) Killymoon Rangers |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 877 (3.65 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Annagh United 9–1 Chimney Corner |
| Biggest away win | Killymoon Rangers 0–7 Banbridge Town Glebe Rangers 1–8 PSNI |
| Highest scoring | Armagh City 9–2 Chimney Corner |
← 2012–13 2014–15 → | |
Stadia and locations
edit | Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annagh United | Tandragee Road | Portadown | 1,250 (100 seated) |
| Armagh City | Holm Park | Armagh | 3,000 (330 seated) |
| Ballymoney United | Riada Stadium | Ballymoney | 5,752 (218 seated) |
| Banbridge Town | Crystal Park | Banbridge | 1,500 (100 seated) |
| Chimney Corner | Allen Park | Antrim | 2,000 (106 seated) |
| Glebe Rangers | Riada Stadium | Ballymoney | 5,752 (218 seated) |
| Killymoon Rangers | Mid Ulster Sports Arena | Cookstown | 700 (100 seated) |
| Lurgan Celtic | Knockrammer Park | Lurgan | 1,000 (100 seated) |
| Moyola Park | Mill Meadow | Castledawson | 1,000 (200 seated) |
| Newington YC | Seaview | Belfast | 3,383 (all seated) |
| Portstewart | Seahaven | Portstewart | 500 (100 seated) |
| PSNI | Newforge Lane | Belfast | 500 (112 seated) |
| Queen's University | Dub Stadium | Belfast | 1,000 (100 seated) |
| Sport & Leisure Swifts | Glen Road Heights | Belfast | 500 (215 seated) |
| Tobermore United | Fortwilliam Park | Tobermore | 1,500 (100 seated) |
| Wakehurst | Mill Meadow | Castledawson | 1,000 (200 seated) |
League table
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Armagh City (C, P) | 30 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 90 | 26 | +64 | 77 | Promotion to NIFL Championship 1 |
| 2 | PSNI (P) | 30 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 84 | 28 | +56 | 66 | |
| 3 | Queen's University | 30 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 47 | 32 | +15 | 63 | |
| 4 | Newington YC | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 56 | 32 | +24 | 54 | |
| 5 | Annagh United | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 75 | 53 | +22 | 52 | |
| 6 | Banbridge Town | 30 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 60 | 44 | +16 | 50 | |
| 7 | Moyola Park | 30 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 61 | 53 | +8 | 46 | |
| 8 | Portstewart | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 43 | |
| 9 | Ballymoney United | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 61 | 59 | +2 | 39 | |
| 10 | Tobermore United | 30 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 47 | 63 | −16 | 34 | |
| 11 | Glebe Rangers | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 48 | 64 | −16 | 33 | |
| 12 | Lurgan Celtic | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 41 | 67 | −26 | 33 | |
| 13 | Wakehurst | 30 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 47 | 75 | −28 | 27 | |
| 14 | Chimney Corner (R) | 30 | 7 | 2 | 21 | 38 | 75 | −37 | 23 | Resigned to join Ballymena & Provincial Regional league[4] |
| 15 | Sport & Leisure Swifts | 30 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 37 | 70 | −33 | 22 | |
| 16 | Killymoon Rangers (R) | 30 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 33 | 90 | −57 | 18 | Relegation to Ballymena & Provincial Regional league |
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored; 4th head-to-head points; 5th head-to-head goal difference
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results
editEach team plays every other team twice (once at home, and once away) for a total of 30 games.
References
edit- ^ BELFAST TELEGRAPH SPONSOR THE IFA CHAMPIONSHIP Archived April 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "NORTHERN IRELAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE". NIFL Premiership.
- ^ "Ards relegated as Bangor draw gifts promotion to Institute". BBC Sport. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Corner step down from Championship football". Antrim Times. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Ards secure Championship and promotion". BBC Sport. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "Tim McCann sacked as manager as Lisburn Distillery are relegated". BBC Sport. BBC. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ^ "Warrenpoint Town overcome Donegal Celtic in Premiership play-off". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "CHAMPIONSHIP 2 PROMOTION PLAY-OFF - DOLLINGSTOWN -V- NEWINGTON YC". ifachampionship.com. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ "NEWINGTON YC WIN ON AWAY GOALS TO SECURE CHAMPIONSHIP 2 PLACE". ifachampionship.com. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.