| Season | 2015–16 |
|---|---|
2016–17 → | |
The2015–16NIFL Championship (known as theBelfast Telegraph Championship for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the eighth and final season of the competition in this format since its establishment after a major overhaul of the league system inNorthern Ireland, and the third season of the league as part of theNorthern Ireland Football League (NIFL), which took over from theIrish Football Association (IFA) for the 2013–14 season onwards.[2] The season began on 8 August 2015, and concluded on 30 April 2016.
League restructure proposals to be introduced over a three-season period were approved by the NIFL on 25 June 2014. The second phase, coming into effect this season, amended the Championship rules:
Carrick Rangers won the previous season's Championship 1 title, winning promotion back to the top flight for the first time since their relegation in the2011–12 season.[3] In the bottom two,Dundela andPSNI were relegated to this season's Championship 2, whileLurgan Celtic andAnnagh United went in the opposite direction after finishing first and second in Championship 2. For the second successive season, a club was relegated to regional football.Ballymoney United finished bottom of Championship 2 and were relegated to a regional division for the following season. As a result, Championship 2 reduced in size to 14 clubs.
Promoted from Championship 1 to thePremiership
Relegated from thePremiership to Championship 1
Promoted from Championship 2 to Championship 1
Relegated from Championship 1 to Championship 2
Relegated from Championship 2 toLevel 4 Regional League
| Champions | Ards |
|---|---|
| Promoted | Ards |
| Relegated | Bangor(demoted) Donegal Celtic Lisburn Distillery |
| Matches | 182 |
| Goals | 632 (3.47 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Armagh City 6–0Lurgan Celtic (7 November 2015) |
| Biggest away win | Lisburn Distillery 1–9Armagh City (2 April 2016) |
| Highest scoring | Loughgall 3–7Larne (17 October 2015) Lisburn Distillery 1–9Armagh City (2 April 2016) |
2016–17 → | |
| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annagh United | Tandragee Road | Portadown | 1,250 (100 seated) |
| Ards | Clandeboye Park | Bangor | 2,850 (500 seated) |
| Armagh City | Holm Park | Armagh | 3,000 (330 seated) |
| Ballyclare Comrades | Dixon Park | Ballyclare | 1,800 (500 seated) |
| Bangor | Clandeboye Park | Bangor | 2,850 (500 seated) |
| Dergview | Darragh Park | Castlederg | 1,200 (100 seated) |
| Donegal Celtic | Donegal Celtic Park | Belfast | 2,330 (650 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) |
| Lisburn Distillery | New Grosvenor Stadium | Ballyskeagh | 7,000 (540 seated) |
| Loughgall | Lakeview Park | Loughgall | 3,000 (180 seated) |
| Lurgan Celtic | Knockrammer Park | Lurgan | 1,000 (100 seated) |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ards(C, P) | 26 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 59 | 35 | +24 | 54 | Promotion to theNIFL Premiership |
| 2 | Harland & Wolff Welders[b] | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 54 | 28 | +26 | 51 | |
| 3 | Armagh City[b] | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 64 | 36 | +28 | 44 | |
| 4 | Knockbreda[b] | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 48 | 32 | +16 | 43 | |
| 5 | Institute | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 40 | 20 | +20 | 42 | Qualification for thepromotion play-off[c] |
| 6 | Larne | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 64 | 45 | +19 | 42 | |
| 7 | Lurgan Celtic | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 39 | |
| 8 | Ballyclare Comrades | 26 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 44 | 40 | +4 | 37 | |
| 9 | Loughgall | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 45 | 54 | −9 | 36 | |
| 10 | Bangor(R) | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 44 | 40 | +4 | 35 | Demotion to theNIFL Premier Intermediate League[d] |
| 11 | Dergview | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 41 | 40 | +1 | 35 | |
| 12 | Annagh United[e] | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 37 | 57 | −20 | 27 | |
| 13 | Donegal Celtic(R) | 26 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 34 | 80 | −46 | 10 | Relegation to theNIFL Premier Intermediate League |
| 14 | Lisburn Distillery(R) | 26 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 18 | 85 | −67 | 10 |
Each team will play every other team twice (once at home, and once away) for a total of 26 games.
| Home \ Away | ANN | ARD | ARM | BCC | BGR | DGV | DGC | H&W | INS | KNB | LRN | LIS | LGL | LGC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annagh United | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–5 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 2–3 | |
| Ards | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | |
| Armagh City | 1–1 | 4–3 | 4–0 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 6–0 | |
| Ballyclare Comrades | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | |
| Bangor | 1–3 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 | |
| Dergview | 4–4 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 3–1 | |
| Donegal Celtic | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–6 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 1–6 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–2 | |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | 3–0 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 6–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | |
| Institute | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | |
| Knockbreda | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | |
| Larne | 2–0 | 1–6 | 4–4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 6–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | |
| Lisburn Distillery | 0–3 | 0–3 | 1–9 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 0–7 | 1–5 | 0–4 | |
| Loughgall | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–7 | 3–7 | 3–0 | 0–1 | |
| Lurgan Celtic | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| Champions | Limavady United |
|---|---|
| Promoted | PSNI |
| Relegated | Coagh United Dollingstown Glebe Rangers Portstewart Wakehurst |
| Matches | 182 |
| Goals | 575 (3.16 per match) |
| Biggest home win | PSNI 7–0Moyola Park (30 April 2016) |
| Biggest away win | Banbridge Town 0–6Sport & Leisure Swifts (5 September 2015) |
| Highest scoring | Queen's University 4–5Portstewart (28 November 2015) |
2016–17 → | |
| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banbridge Town | Crystal Park | Banbridge | 1,500 (100 seated) |
| Coagh United | Hagan Park | Coagh | 2,000 (179 seated) |
| Dollingstown | Planters Park | Lurgan | 1,000 (100 seated) |
| Dundela | Wilgar Park | Belfast | 2,500 (100 seated) |
| Glebe Rangers | Riada Stadium | Ballymoney | 5,752 (218 seated) |
| Limavady United | The Showgrounds | Limavady | 1,000 (174 seated) |
| Moyola Park | Mill Meadow | Castledawson | 1,000 (200 seated) |
| Newington YC | Seaview | Belfast | 3,383 (all seated) |
| Portstewart | Seahaven | Portstewart | 1,000 (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) |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Limavady United[b](C) | 26 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 66 | 27 | +39 | 59 | |
| 2 | PSNI(P) | 26 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 59 | 23 | +36 | 59 | Promotion to theNIFL Championship[c] |
| 3 | Sport & Leisure Swifts | 26 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 59 | 28 | +31 | 47 | |
| 4 | Tobermore United | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 44 | |
| 5 | Moyola Park | 26 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 41 | |
| 6 | Banbridge Town | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 36 | |
| 7 | Queen's University | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 35 | 37 | −2 | 36 | |
| 8 | Dundela | 26 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 38 | 47 | −9 | 36 | |
| 9 | Newington YC | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 38 | 38 | 0 | 34 | |
| 10 | Dollingstown(R) | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 46 | 51 | −5 | 34 | Relegation to thetier 4 regional leagues |
| 11 | Glebe Rangers(R) | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 34 | 46 | −12 | 32 | |
| 12 | Coagh United(R) | 26 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 28 | 54 | −26 | 22 | |
| 13 | Portstewart(R) | 26 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 34 | 58 | −24 | 21 | |
| 14 | Wakehurst(R) | 26 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 67 | −42 | 7 |
Each team will play every other team twice (once at home, and once away) for a total of 26 games.
| Home \ Away | BBT | COA | DOL | DND | GBE | LIM | MOY | NTN | PST | PSNI | QUE | SLS | TOB | WAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banbridge Town | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–6 | 3–4 | 1–0 | |
| Coagh United | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 2–5 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | |
| Dollingstown | 1–5 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 4–2 | |
| Dundela | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 4–0 | 3–2 | |
| Glebe Rangers | 1–0 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Limavady United | 2–2 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 5–1 | |
| Moyola Park | 0–0 | 3–0 | 6–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | |
| Newington YC | 0–0 | 3–1 | 5–2 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 | |
| Portstewart | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 3–4 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 2–2 | |
| PSNI | 3–3 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 7–0 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 4–0 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| Queen's University | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 4–5 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | |
| Sport & Leisure Swifts | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 7–1 | |
| Tobermore United | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 0–1 | |
| Wakehurst | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–5 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–4 | 0–0 |