2023–24 NIFL Premiership
Football league season
| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 Aug 2023 – |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → | |
The 2023–24 NIFL Premiership (known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is the 16th season of the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of league football in Northern Ireland, the 123rd season of Irish League football overall, and the 11th season of the league operating as part of the Northern Ireland Football League. The 38-game season commenced on 4 August 2023.
The champions qualify for the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round. The 2023–24 Irish Cup winners qualify for the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League second qualifying round, with the runners-up (or third-placed team if the Irish Cup winners finish in the top two of the Premiership) and Conference League play-off winners qualifying for the first qualifying round. The eleventh-placed team qualify for the NIFL Premiership play-off. The bottom-placed team are relegated to the 2024–25 NIFL Championship.
Teams
The league consisted of twelve teams; eleven teams remaining from the previous season, and one team promoted from the NIFL Championship. The promoted team from the 2022–23 NIFL Championship was Loughgall, who returned to the top-flight for the first time since 2007 (replacing the relegated team of Portadown). Larne entered the season as defending champions, having won their first league title in the previous season.
Stadia and locations
Belfast
Coleraine
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Locations of the 2023–24 NIFL Premiership teams
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Locations of the Belfast-based 2023–24 NIFL Premiership teams| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity[1][2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United | The Showgrounds | Ballymena | 3,824 (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 | 3,000 |
| Newry City | The Showgrounds | Newry | 2,275 (1,080 seated) |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Larne (X) | 32 | 23 | 8 | 1 | 67 | 17 | +50 | 77 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Linfield (X) | 32 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 73 | 33 | +40 | 75 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round[b] |
| 3 | Cliftonville (X) | 32 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 73 | 28 | +45 | 70 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off |
| 4 | Glentoran (X) | 33 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 68 | 37 | +31 | 56 | |
| 5 | Crusaders (X) | 33 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 55 | 36 | +19 | 55 | |
| 6 | Coleraine | 33 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 41 | 57 | −16 | 41 | |
| 7 | Loughgall (Y) | 33 | 11 | 6 | 16 | 50 | 59 | −9 | 39 | |
| 8 | Carrick Rangers | 32 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 41 | 62 | −21 | 38 | |
| 9 | Glenavon (Y) | 33 | 10 | 4 | 19 | 40 | 60 | −20 | 34 | |
| 10 | Dungannon Swifts (Y) | 33 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 52 | 67 | −15 | 32 | |
| 11 | Ballymena United (Y) | 33 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 20 | 63 | −43 | 19 | Qualification for the NIFL Premiership play-off |
| 12 | Newry City (Y) | 33 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 22 | 83 | −61 | 17 | Relegation to the NIFL Championship |
Updated to match(es) played on 23 March 2024. Source: Northern Ireland Football League, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Drawing of lots[3]
(X) Assured of a top six place; (Y) Assured of a bottom six place
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Drawing of lots[3]
(X) Assured of a top six place; (Y) Assured of a bottom six place
Notes:
- ^ Teams play each other three times (33 matches), before the league is split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).
- ^ The 2023–24 Irish Cup winners (Cliftonville or Linfield) qualify for the Conference League second qualifying round (or the second-placed team if the Irish Cup winners finish first).
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).
| 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 | — | — | — | 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 | — | 0–3 | — | — | |
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — |
Updated to match(es) played on 23 March 2024. 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.
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.
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.
Play-offs
Conference League play-off
Clubs that finish 3rd–7th compete for the second and final place in the 2024–25 Conference League first qualifying round. The play-offs are one-off matches with extra time and penalties used to determine the winner if necessary, with the higher-ranked teams given home advantage. Since the 2023–24 Irish Cup winners will finish 7th or higher, one of the spots will be vacated (with the 3rd-placed team qualifying automatically if the Irish Cup winners finish in the top two).
NIFL Premiership play-off
The eleventh-placed club will face the second-placed club from the 2023–24 NIFL Championship for the final place in the following season's Premiership.
References
External links
- Official website
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