 | |
| Founded | 1890 (as Irish Football League) |
|---|---|
| Country | Northern Ireland (since 1921) Ireland (1890–1921) |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Divisions | NIFL Premiership NIFL Championship NIFL Premier Intermediate League NIFL Premiership Development League NIFL Youth League NIFL Women’s Premiership |
| Number of teams | 36 |
| Level on pyramid | 1–3 |
| Relegation to | Ballymena & Provincial League Mid-Ulster Football League Northern Amateur League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Irish Cup |
| League cup(s) | Northern Ireland Football League Cup George Wilson Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa Conference League Scottish Challenge Cup |
| Current champions | Larne (2nd title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Linfield (56 titles) |
| TV partners | BBC NI (highlights via BBC iPlayer)[1] Sky Sports (5 games a season and League Cup Final) |
| Website | www |
| Current: 2023–24 | |
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The Northern Ireland Football League (abbreviated to NIFL), also known as the Irish League,[2][3][4] is the national football league of Northern Ireland. The Irish League was originally formed in 1890, with the league in its current format created in 2013 to assume independent collective management of the top three levels of the Northern Ireland football league system; namely the Premiership, Championship and Premier Intermediate League.
In addition to the league divisions, the NIFL also operates the Northern Ireland Football League Cup for its member clubs, as well as the NIFL Development League and George Wilson Cup for their reserve teams, and the NIFL Youth League and NIFL Youth League Cup for their youth teams. Operated as a limited company, the 36 member clubs act as shareholders with one vote each.[5][6] The NIFL is the successor to the Irish Football League, which, upon its formation in 1890, was historically the league for the entire island of Ireland until it became Northern Ireland's national league after the partition of Ireland in 1921.
Larne are the current champions, after winning the 2022–23 title on 14 April 2023 with a 2–0 win against Crusaders. This was the club's first league title.
- ^ "The Irish League Show now on BBC iPlayer". Northern Ireland Football League. nifootballleague.com. 11 December 2014. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ "Newsletter". Archived from the original on 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
- ^ "ITV". Archived from the original on 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
- ^ "Northern Ireland Football - latest NI football news - BBC Sport". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-07-29.
- ^ "Regulations and club information: Season 2015/16" (PDF). Northern Ireland Football League. nifootballleague.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ "About the NIFL". Northern Ireland Football League. nifootballleague.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.