| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 Aug 2023 – 27 Apr 2024 |
| Champions | Larne |
| Relegated | Newry City |
| UEFA Champions League | Larne |
| UEFA Conference League | Cliftonville Crusaders Linfield |
| Top goalscorer | Andy Ryan (24 goals) |
2024–25 → | |
The2023–24 NIFL Premiership (known as theSports Direct Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the 16th season of theNIFL Premiership (the highest level of league football inNorthern Ireland), the 123rd season ofIrish League football overall, and the 11th season of the league operating as part of theNorthern Ireland Football League. The 38-game season commenced on 4 August 2023 and concluded on 27 April 2024.
The champions (Larne, their second consecutive title win) qualified for the2024–25 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round.[1]The2023–24 Irish Cup winners (Cliftonville) qualified for the2024–25 UEFA Conference League second qualifying round, with the second-placed team (Linfield) andConference League play-off winners (Crusaders) qualifying for thefirst qualifying round. The eleventh-placed team (Ballymena United) qualified for theNIFL Premiership play-off, winning and retaining their place in the league. The bottom-placed team (Newry City) were relegated to the2024–25 NIFL Championship.
The league consisted of twelve teams; eleven teams remaining from theprevious season, and one team promoted from theNIFL Championship.Loughgall were promoted as champions of the2022–23 NIFL Championship (returning to the top-flight for the first time since 2007), replacing the2022–23 NIFL Premiership bottom-placed teamPortadown.Larne entered the season as defending champions, having won their first league title in the previous season.
| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity[2][3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United | The Showgrounds | Ballymena | 4,100 (all seated) |
| Carrick Rangers | Loughshore Hotel Arena | Carrickfergus | 2,100 (380 seated) |
| Cliftonville | Solitude | Belfast | 3,054 (all seated) |
| Coleraine | The Showgrounds | Coleraine | 4,843 (1,607 seated) |
| Crusaders | Seaview | Belfast | 3,208 (all seated) |
| Dungannon Swifts | Stangmore Park | Dungannon | 2,000 (300 seated) |
| Glenavon | Mourneview Park | Lurgan | 3,302 (all seated) |
| Glentoran | The Oval | Belfast | 6,054 (3,991 seated) |
| Larne | Inver Park | Larne | 2,732 (1,632 seated) |
| Linfield | Windsor Park | Belfast | 18,434 (all seated) |
| Loughgall | Lakeview Park | Loughgall | 1,300 |
| Newry City | The Showgrounds | Newry | 2,275 (1,080 seated) |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Larne(C) | 38 | 27 | 9 | 2 | 85 | 21 | +64 | 90 | Qualification for theChampions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Linfield | 38 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 82 | 40 | +42 | 85 | Qualification for theConference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Cliftonville | 38 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 80 | 43 | +37 | 75 | Qualification for theConference League second qualifying round[b] |
| 4 | Crusaders(O) | 38 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 61 | 43 | +18 | 64 | Qualification for theConference League play-offs[c] |
| 5 | Glentoran | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 74 | 43 | +31 | 60 | |
| 6 | Coleraine | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 47 | 69 | −22 | 46 | |
| 7 | Carrick Rangers | 38 | 15 | 5 | 18 | 54 | 72 | −18 | 50 | Qualification for theConference League play-offs[c] |
| 8 | Dungannon Swifts | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 64 | 69 | −5 | 47 | |
| 9 | Loughgall | 38 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 60 | 68 | −8 | 45 | |
| 10 | Glenavon | 38 | 11 | 4 | 23 | 45 | 70 | −25 | 37 | |
| 11 | Ballymena United(O) | 38 | 8 | 4 | 26 | 29 | 70 | −41 | 28 | Qualification for theNIFL Premiership play-off |
| 12 | Newry City(R) | 38 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 26 | 99 | −73 | 17 | Relegation to theNIFL Championship |
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 | BYM | CRK | CLF | COL | CRU | DUN | GLA | GLT | LAR | LIN | LGL | NEW | BYM | CRK | CLF | COL | CRU | DUN | GLA | GLT | LAR | LIN | LGL | NEW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United | — | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | — | 0–2 | — | 3–1 | 2–4 | 2–4 | — | — | 0–1 | — | 0–1 | — |
| Carrick Rangers | 0–1 | — | 0–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | — | — | 0–1 | — | — | 2–1 | 0–2 | — | — | 2–3 | — | 0–1 |
| Cliftonville | 2–0 | 4–0 | — | 5–0 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | — | — | 4–1 | 2–1 | — | 4–2 | — | 0–2 | 0–3 | — | — |
| Coleraine | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 0–4 | 2–3 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 3–1 | — | 0–2 | — | — | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–3 | — |
| Crusaders | 1–0 | 9–0 | 0–3 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | — | — | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | — | — |
| Dungannon Swifts | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 1–4 | — | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 4–1 | — | — | 3–1 | — | 2–2 | — | — | 0–3 | 0–2 | — | — | 5–0 |
| Glenavon | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | — | — | — | — | 4–0 | — | 0–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–2 | — |
| Glentoran | 5–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | — | 1–2 | 4–0 | 6–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 6–0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0–3 | 8–2 |
| Larne | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–4 | 4–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | 6–1 | 3–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| Linfield | 4–0 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | — | 5–1 | 6–1 | 2–0 | — | — | — | 1–0 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | 6–0 |
| Loughgall | 5–2 | 3–4 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | — | 3–1 | — | 3–3 | 2–3 | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | 0–0 |
| Newry City | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–3 | — | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — | 0–4 | — | — | — | — | — |
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[edit]
Source:Northern Ireland Football League,Soccerway 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[edit]
Source:Northern Ireland Football League,Soccerway 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.
|
Clubs placed 3rd–7th compete for the second and final place in the2024–25 Conference League first qualifying round. The play-offs are one-off matches, with the higher-ranked teams given home advantage and extra time and penalties used to determine the winner if necessary. Since the2023–24 Irish Cup winners finished in the top three, the 3rd-placed team qualified automatically for the Conference League and the spot was vacated.
| 1 May 2024 | Crusaders (4th) | 3–1 | Carrick Rangers (7th) | Belfast |
| 19:45 | Lecky Nixon | Gibson | Stadium:Seaview |
| 1 May 2024 | Glentoran (5th) | 0–3 | Coleraine (6th) | Belfast |
| 19:45 | McGonigle Kane | Stadium:The Oval |
| 6 May 2024 | Crusaders (4th) | 3–2 | Coleraine (6th) | Belfast |
| 15:00 | O'Rourke Larmour Forsythe | McGonigle Carson | Stadium:Seaview |
The eleventh-placed club (Ballymena United) faced the second-placed club from the2023–24 NIFL Championship (Institute) in a two-legged play-off for the final place in the following season's Premiership.
| 30 April 2024 | Institute | 1–0 | Ballymena United | Derry |
| 15:00 | Lafferty | Stadium:Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium |
| 3 May 2024 | Ballymena United | 2–0 (2–1agg.) | Institute | Ballymena |
| 15:00 | McCullough McCurry | Stadium:Ballymena Showgrounds |
| # | Football club | Home games | Average attendance[5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linfield FC | 19 | 3,212 |
| 2 | Coleraine FC | 19 | 2,468 |
| 3 | Glentoran FC | 19 | 2,451 |
| 4 | Larne FC | 19 | 2,013 |
| 5 | Cliftonville FC | 19 | 1,918 |
| 6 | Crusaders FC | 19 | 1,634 |
| 7 | Ballymena United | 19 | 1,296 |
| 8 | Glenavon FC | 19 | 968 |
| 9 | Newry City | 19 | 869 |
| 10 | Loughgall FC | 19 | 748 |
| 11 | Carrick Rangers | 19 | 709 |
| 12 | Dungannon Swifts | 19 | 689 |