The 2023–24 NIFL Championship (known as the Playr-Fit Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the seventh season of the

NIFL Championship The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Playr-Fit Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championsh ...

(the second-tier of the Irish League - the national football league in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

) since gaining senior status. The season began on 5 August 2023 and concluded on 26 April 2024. The champions (

Portadown Portadown ( ) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population ...

) were promoted to the

2024–25 NIFL Premiership The 2024–25 NIFL Premiership (known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the 17th season of the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of league football in Northern Ireland and the 124th season of Northern Ireland Footbal ...

. The runners-up (

Institute An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

) qualified for the NIFL Premiership play-off, losing and remaining in the league. The eleventh-placed team ( Dergview) qualified for the NIFL Championship play-off, losing and being relegated to the

2024–25 NIFL Premier Intermediate League The 2024–25 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (known as the Playr-Fit Premier Intermediate League for sponsorship reasons) was the eighth season of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League (the third tier of the Northern Ireland Football League - th ...

alongside the bottom-placed team ( Knockbreda).

Teams

The league consisted of twelve teams; ten teams remaining from the previous season, one team promoted from the

NIFL Premier Intermediate League The NIFL Premier Intermediate League (Known as the Playr-Fit NIFL Premier Intermediate League for sponsorship reasons) is the third level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national association football league in Northern Ireland, and t ...

, and one team relegated from the

NIFL Premiership The NIFL Premiership, known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and Irish Premiership colloquially, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northern Ireland Football L ...

. Bangor were promoted to the league as champions of the 2022–23 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (replacing the second-placed 2023–24 NIFL Championship team Warrenpoint Town, who were relegated after being refused a NIFL Championship license).

were relegated to the league as the bottom-placed team of the

2022–23 NIFL Premiership The 2022–23 NIFL Premiership (known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the 15th season of the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of league football in Northern Ireland, the 122nd season of Irish League football overall ...

(replacing the 2022–23 NIFL Championship promoted team

Loughgall Loughgall ( ; ) is a small village, townland (of 131 acres) and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the historic Barony (Ireland), baronies of Armagh (barony), Armagh and Oneilland West. It had a ...

Stadia and locations

League table

Results

Matches 1–33

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).

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 ( Dergview) faced the second-placed club from the

2023–24 NIFL Premier Intermediate League The 2023–24 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (known as the Playr-Fit Premier Intermediate League for sponsorship reasons) was the seventh season of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League (the third tier of the Northern Ireland Football League - t ...

( Armagh City) in a two-legged play-off for the final place in the following season's Championship.

Teams

Stadia and locations

League table

Results

Matches 1–33

Matches 34–38

Section A

Section B

NIFL Championship play-off

First leg

Second leg

References

External links