The 2022–23 NIFL Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the

NIFL Championship The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championshi ...

since gaining senior status. It is the second-tier of the

Northern Ireland Football League The Northern Ireland Football League (commonly abbreviated to NIFL), known historically, and still colloquially, as the Irish League, is the national football league of Northern Ireland. The Irish League was originally formed in 1890, with the l ...

- the national football league in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The season began on 13 August 2022 and concluded on 29 April 2023.

Newry City Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, although ...

were the champions of the previous season and promoted to the

2022–23 NIFL Premiership The 2022–23 NIFL Premiership (known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is the 15th season of Northern Ireland's highest national football league in this format since its inception in 2008, the 122nd season of the Irish Leag ...

. They were replaced by Warrenpoint Town, who were relegated from the

2021–22 NIFL Premiership The 2021–22 NIFL Premiership (known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is the 14th season of Northern Ireland's highest national football league in this format since its inception in 2008, the 121st season of the Irish Lea ...

. Queen's University were relegated to the 2022–23 NIFL Premier Intermediate League and replaced by Newington, the champions of the 2021–22 NIFL Premier Intermediate League.

Teams

Stadia and locations

League table

Results

Matches 1–22

During matches 1–22 each team plays every other team twice (home and away).

Matches 23–33

During matches 23–33 each team plays every other team for the third time (either at home, or away).

Matches 34–38

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

Section B

NIFL Championship play-off

The eleventh-placed club (Institute) were expected to face the second-placed club from the 2022–23 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (Ballymacash Rangers) for one place in the following season's Championship. However, after Warrenpoint Town were expelled from the NIFL Championship, Institute were reprieved from the play-off and replaced by the bottom-placed NIFL Championship club, Knockbreda.

Teams

Stadia and locations

League table

Results

Matches 1–22

Matches 23–33

Matches 34–38

Section A

Section B

NIFL Championship play-off

First leg

Second leg

Season statistics

Top scorers

References

External links