NIFL Championship
Season2013–14

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.

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

Ards 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

Relegated from the Premiership to Championship 1

Promoted from Championship 2 to Championship 1

Relegated from Championship 1 to Championship 2

Promoted from Northern Amateur Football League to Championship 2

  • Newington YC (1st in NAFL Premier Division - promoted via play-off)

Championship 1

NIFL Championship 1
ChampionsInstitute
PromotedInstitute
RelegatedCoagh United
Limavady United
Matches played182
Goals scored661 (3.63 per match)
Biggest home winD. Celtic 6–1 Coagh
Institute 6–1 Larne
Dergview 5–0 Bangor
Bangor 5–0 Coagh
Bangor 6–1 Loughgall
Biggest away winCoagh 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 scoringLoughgall 5–5 Institute
Loughgall 6–4 Ballyclare

Stadia and locations

Location of the Belfast-based teams in the NIFL Championship 1 2013-14
Club Stadium Location Capacity
Ballyclare ComradesDixon ParkBallyclare1,800 (500 seated)
BangorClandeboye ParkBangor2,850 (500 seated)
Carrick RangersTaylors AvenueCarrickfergus6,000 (400 seated)
Coagh UnitedHagan ParkCoagh2,000 (179 seated)
DergviewDarragh ParkCastlederg1,200 (100 seated)
Donegal CelticDonegal Celtic ParkBelfast2,330 (650 seated)
DundelaWilgar ParkBelfast2,500 (100 seated)
Harland & Wolff WeldersTillysburn ParkBelfast3,000 (100 seated)
InstituteRiverside StadiumDrumahoe3,110 (1,540 seated)
KnockbredaBreda ParkKnockbreda1,000 (100 seated)
LarneInver ParkLarne1,100 (656 seated)
Limavady UnitedThe ShowgroundsLimavady524 (174 seated)
Lisburn DistilleryNew Grosvenor StadiumBallyskeagh7,000 (540 seated)
LoughgallLakeview ParkLoughgall3,000 (180 seated)

League table

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[lower-alpha 1] 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
Source: rsssf.com
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:
  1. ↑ Bangor were ineligible for the promotion play-off, as they did not attain the required licence for promotion.

Results

Each team will play every other team twice (once at home, and once away) for a total of 26 games.

Home \ Away BCC BGR CRK COA DGV DGC DND H&W INS KNB LRN LIM LIS LGL
Ballyclare Comrades 0–1 0–1 1–2 2–0 1–1 5–3 2–2 5–1 2–5 4–0 3–2 0–3 2–0
Bangor 4–0 0–3 5–0 2–1 1–0 3–2 1–1 0–1 2–0 3–2 3–1 6–2 6–1
Carrick Rangers 4–2 2–2 1–0 3–1 3–4 0–1 3–2 1–2 3–0 1–2 1–0 3–1 1–2
Coagh United 0–2 1–6 1–6 2–3 3–1 0–2 2–2 1–1 2–3 1–1 2–1 4–4 2–3
Dergview 1–5 5–0 2–1 0–0 2–1 2–3 0–0 1–1 0–5 1–2 0–0 3–3 1–1
Donegal Celtic 1–6 1–4 0–0 6–1 0–1 5–3 0–3 0–5 1–0 1–1 2–1 1–1 4–2
Dundela 3–0 5–1 1–1 2–3 2–2 3–2 0–2 1–1 4–0 0–1 1–0 2–0 2–1
Harland & Wolff Welders 1–1 2–2 1–2 4–0 2–0 0–2 3–6 0–1 1–1 1–0 3–0 3–3 1–2
Institute 3–2 2–2 5–1 6–2 4–0 4–2 4–0 3–1 0–0 6–1 2–0 2–1 1–1
Knockbreda 2–0 3–0 3–1 5–1 1–2 4–1 5–4 0–1 2–2 1–0 4–0 2–2 3–1
Larne 0–1 0–4 1–2 3–3 2–1 1–1 0–2 0–3 4–3 1–5 5–1 1–0 2–0
Limavady United 3–3 1–2 0–5 1–0 1–0 2–1 0–4 1–3 0–5 1–2 0–0 1–0 1–2
Lisburn Distillery 1–0 1–3 1–1 1–3 2–0 2–0 3–6 0–1 2–2 3–1 1–2 2–0 2–1
Loughgall 6–4 2–2 0–2 4–2 1–1 1–3 3–3 2–3 5–5 1–0 1–0 4–1 1–2
Source: rsssf.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Championship 2

NIFL Championship 2
ChampionsArmagh City
PromotedArmagh City
PSNI
RelegatedChimney Corner (resigned)
Killymoon Rangers
Matches played240
Goals scored877 (3.65 per match)
Biggest home winAnnagh United 9–1 Chimney Corner
Biggest away winKillymoon Rangers 0–7 Banbridge Town
Glebe Rangers 1–8 PSNI
Highest scoringArmagh City 9–2 Chimney Corner

Stadia and locations

Location of the Belfast-based teams in the NIFL Championship 2 2013-14
Club Stadium Location Capacity
Annagh UnitedTandragee RoadPortadown1,250 (100 seated)
Armagh CityHolm ParkArmagh3,000 (330 seated)
Ballymoney UnitedRiada StadiumBallymoney5,752 (218 seated)
Banbridge TownCrystal ParkBanbridge1,500 (100 seated)
Chimney CornerAllen ParkAntrim2,000 (106 seated)
Glebe RangersRiada StadiumBallymoney5,752 (218 seated)
Killymoon RangersMid Ulster Sports ArenaCookstown700 (100 seated)
Lurgan CelticKnockrammer ParkLurgan1,000 (100 seated)
Moyola ParkMill MeadowCastledawson1,000 (200 seated)
Newington YCSeaviewBelfast3,383 (all seated)
PortstewartSeahavenPortstewart500 (100 seated)
PSNINewforge LaneBelfast500 (112 seated)
Queen's UniversityDub StadiumBelfast1,000 (100 seated)
Sport & Leisure SwiftsGlen Road HeightsBelfast500 (215 seated)
Tobermore UnitedFortwilliam ParkTobermore1,500 (100 seated)
WakehurstMill MeadowCastledawson1,000 (200 seated)

League table

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
Source: rsssf.com
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

Each team plays every other team twice (once at home, and once away) for a total of 30 games.

Home \ Away ANN ARM BMY BBT CHI GBE KMR LGC MOY NTN PST PSNI QUE SLS TOB WAK
Annagh United 0–3 6–2 2–0 9–1 1–0 3–0 1–0 3–0 4–2 3–3 1–1 3–4 3–1 3–1 7–2
Armagh City 5–1 2–1 4–0 9–2 3–0 6–0 4–0 4–2 2–0 3–1 2–1 1–0 3–0 3–0 6–0
Ballymoney United 3–3 1–2 0–1 1–3 3–4 3–1 4–0 1–2 5–2 0–2 1–3 3–4 3–1 1–0 3–3
Banbridge Town 4–3 1–4 3–0 3–2 3–1 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 2–0 1–2 0–2 1–1 6–0 3–1
Chimney Corner 2–3 2–1 1–1 0–1 0–2 3–0 4–0 0–4 1–4 1–5 0–2 0–1 1–0 1–2 3–0
Glebe Rangers 0–3 0–2 1–2 2–1 3–2 1–0 1–3 3–5 1–1 1–2 1–8 1–2 4–0 2–4 4–0
Killymoon Rangers 1–2 0–4 1–0 0–7 4–2 3–3 3–3 1–6 0–4 0–1 2–2 0–2 2–4 2–5 5–4
Lurgan Celtic 1–1 0–1 0–4 1–4 0–1 3–2 5–1 3–0 2–2 0–5 2–0 0–1 3–3 0–2 2–1
Moyola Park 5–2 1–2 2–6 4–3 4–0 0–3 1–2 4–0 0–3 5–2 0–3 1–0 1–1 5–0 0–0
Newington YC 1–1 1–0 2–2 2–0 2–1 2–0 2–0 2–2 1–0 0–1 1–1 3–0 4–0 2–1 4–1
Portstewart 1–1 4–1 0–1 1–0 2–2 1–2 3–0 0–1 0–0 0–3 0–5 0–1 4–1 3–1 2–3
PSNI 5–0 3–3 5–1 3–1 3–0 3–1 2–0 7–0 4–0 1–2 3–2 0–0 2–0 3–2 2–3
Queen's University 2–1 2–4 2–4 2–1 2–1 1–1 3–1 3–2 0–0 0–0 1–1 0–0 1–0 3–0 2–1
Sport & Leisure Swifts 3–1 2–2 0–2 3–2 2–1 1–3 2–4 3–4 1–3 3–3 0–1 0–3 0–1 3–3 1–1
Tobermore United 0–4 1–2 0–0 0–2 3–1 3–0 2–0 2–1 2–3 0–0 2–2 0–2 2–3 4–0 2–4
Wakehurst 0–0 0–2 3–3 2–4 2–0 2–1 3–0 0–2 2–3 1–0 3–3 2–5 1–2 0–1 2–3
Source: rsssf.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

References

  1. ↑ BELFAST TELEGRAPH SPONSOR THE IFA CHAMPIONSHIP Archived April 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "NORTHERN IRELAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE". NIFL Premiership.
  3. ↑ "Ards relegated as Bangor draw gifts promotion to Institute". BBC Sport. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Corner step down from Championship football". Antrim Times. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "Ards secure Championship and promotion". BBC Sport. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "Tim McCann sacked as manager as Lisburn Distillery are relegated". BBC Sport. BBC. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "Warrenpoint Town overcome Donegal Celtic in Premiership play-off". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "CHAMPIONSHIP 2 PROMOTION PLAY-OFF - DOLLINGSTOWN -V- NEWINGTON YC". ifachampionship.com. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "NEWINGTON YC WIN ON AWAY GOALS TO SECURE CHAMPIONSHIP 2 PLACE". ifachampionship.com. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
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