2024–25 NIFL Championship

NIFL Championship
Season	2024–25
Champions	Bangor
Promoted	Bangor
Relegated	Newry City
	← 2023–24 2025–26 →

The 2024–25 NIFL Championship (known as the Playr-Fit Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the eighth season of the NIFL Championship (the second-tier of the Irish League - the national football league in Northern Ireland) since gaining senior status.^[1]

Teams

The league consisted of twelve teams; nine teams remaining from the previous season, two teams promoted from the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, and one team relegated from the NIFL Premiership.

Limavady United were promoted as champions of the 2023–24 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (replacing the bottom-placed 2023–24 NIFL Championship team Knockbreda). Intermediate League runners-up Armagh City were also promoted after defeating second-bottom Championship team Dergview in the NIFL Championship play-off to take their place in the league. Newry City were relegated as the bottom-placed team of the 2023–24 NIFL Premiership (replacing the 2023–24 NIFL Championship promoted team Portadown).^[2]^[3]

Belfast

Annagh United

Ards

Armagh City

Ballinamallard United

Belfast teams : Dundela
H&W Welders
Newington

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Locations of the 2024–25 NIFL Championship teams

2024–25 NIFL Championship is located in Greater Belfast

Locations of the Belfast-based 2024–25 NIFL Championship teams

Stadia and locations

Club	Stadium	Location	Capacity^[4]
Annagh United	BMG Arena	Portadown	1,250 (100 seated)
Ards	Clandeboye Park	Bangor	1,895 (500 seated)
Armagh City	Holm Park	Armagh	2,000 (500 seated)
Ballinamallard United	Ferney Park	Ballinamallard	2,000 (250 seated)
Ballyclare Comrades	Dixon Park	Ballyclare	2,398 (538 Seated)
Bangor	Clandeboye Park	Bangor	1,895 (500 seated)
Dundela	Wilgar Park	Belfast	2,500
Harland & Wolff Welders	Blanchflower Stadium	Belfast	3,000 (2,000 seated)
Institute	Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium	Derry	3,700
Limavady United	The Showgrounds	Limavady	524 (274 seated)
Newington	Inver Park	Larne	3,000
Newry City	The Showgrounds	Newry	2,275 (1,080 seated)

Regular season

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Bangor	33	21	5	7	72	38	+34	68	Qualification for Section A
2	Harland & Wolff Welders	33	18	6	9	68	42	+26	60
3	Limavady United	33	17	9	7	60	36	+24	60
4	Annagh United	33	17	5	11	58	33	+25	56
5	Ards	33	14	8	11	50	47	+3	50
6	Dundela	33	14	6	13	54	54	0	48
7	Institute	33	10	11	12	50	54	−4	41	Qualification for Section B
8	Armagh City	33	9	11	13	51	66	−15	38
9	Ballinamallard United	33	11	4	18	49	55	−6	37
10	Ballyclare Comrades	33	10	5	18	42	74	−32	35
11	Newington	33	8	7	18	36	63	−27	31
12	Newry City	33	6	9	18	38	66	−28	27

Source: NIFL Championship
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^[5]

Results

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	ANN	ARD	ARM	BMD	BCC	BAG	DUN	HAR	INS	LIM	NEW	NEC	ANN	ARD	ARM	BMD	BCC	BAG	DUN	HAR	INS	LIM	NEW	NEC
Annagh United	—	0–1	1–2	1–0	5–0	1–0	0–0	2–0	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–0	—	—	—	1–0	1–2	4–3	—	—	—	2–2	—	4–0
Ards	1–1	—	3–1	0–1	1–3	0–4	0–1	3–1	0–0	2–0	3–2	0–1	2–0	—	4–2	—	3–1	0–0	1–3	—	—	—	1–1	—
Armagh City	3–1	4–1	—	3–2	1–2	1–4	3–4	3–0	2–2	2–2	0–1	3–3	0–6	—	—	—	—	0–3	—	3–3	1–2	1–1	—	—
Ballinamallard United	0–3	2–2	1–3	—	4–0	4–0	1–2	0–1	1–2	1–2	4–1	2–1	—	2–2	2–0	—	2–0	—	3–1	—	—	—	3–2	1–1
Ballyclare Comrades	2–1	3–2	1–1	1–4	—	2–3	0–3	2–7	3–3	0–4	1–1	3–1	—	—	0–3	—	—	—	1–1	—	2–2	0–2	—	3–1
Bangor	2–1	0–0	1–1	3–2	1–0	—	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–0	3–0	—	—	—	4–0	4–0	—	—	1–4	—	1–0	4–1	—
Dundela	2–0	1–0	0–1	3–3	2–1	1–3	—	1–2	4–3	2–3	3–1	1–0	0–1	—	4–2	—	—	0–2	—	1–2	1–3	—	1–3	—
Harland & Wolff Welders	2–1	4–0	5–0	4–0	0–2	0–1	1–3	—	3–1	0–5	1–0	2–1	3–0	0–1	—	4–0	3–1	—	—	—	—	—	—	4–1
Institute	0–0	2–4	0–0	2–1	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–3	—	1–1	4–0	2–0	2–6	2–3	—	1–0	—	0–0	—	1–1	—	—	—	1–1
Limavady United	2–1	0–3	3–0	1–2	0–1	0–3	3–2	0–0	2–1	—	4–1	3–0	—	0–1	—	2–1	—	—	4–0	0–0	2–1	—	—	3–1
Newington	0–3	2–2	0–0	1–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–4	0–1	0–0	—	3–3	0–3	—	2–3	—	3–1	—	—	2–0	2–0	1–2	—	—
Newry City	0–2	1–4	1–1	1–0	2–1	4–5	0–2	2–2	0–2	3–3	3–1	—	—	2–0	1–1	—	—	2–1	1–1	—	—	—	0–1	—

Source: NIFL Championship
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.

Section A

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or qualification
1	Bangor (C, P)	37	22	7	8	79	45	+34	73	Promotion to the NIFL Premiership
2	Annagh United	37	21	5	11	69	37	+32	68	Qualification for the NIFL Premiership play-off
3	Harland & Wolff Welders	37	20	6	11	77	50	+27	66
4	Limavady United	37	17	12	8	64	42	+22	63
5	Ards	37	14	10	13	55	56	−1	52
6	Dundela	37	15	7	15	57	59	−2	52

Updated to match(es) played on 19 April 2025. Source: NIFL Championship
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^[5]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Results

Each team plays each other once (either at home or away).

Home \ Away	ANN	ARD	BAG	DUN	HAR	LIM
Annagh United	—		—	2–0	4–2	—
Ards	—	—	—	—	2–5	1–1
Bangor	2–3	2–2	—		—	—
Dundela	—	1–0	—	—	—	1–1
Harland & Wolff Welders	—	—	0–1	2–1	—
Limavady United	0–2	—	2–2	—	—	—

Updated to match(es) played on 19 April 2025. Source: NIFL Championship
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

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
7	Institute	37	12	12	13	59	63	−4	48
8	Armagh City	37	10	12	15	62	77	−15	42
9	Ballinamallard United	37	12	5	20	54	62	−8	41
10	Ballyclare Comrades	37	11	7	19	50	81	−31	40
11	Newington	37	10	9	18	47	72	−25	39	Qualification for the NIFL Championship play-off
12	Newry City (R)	37	7	10	20	46	75	−29	31	Relegation to the NIFL Premier Intermediate League

Updated to match(es) played on 19 April 2025. Source: NIFL Championship
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^[5]
(R) Relegated

Results

Each team plays each other once (either at home or away).

Home \ Away	ARM	BMD	BCC	INS	NEW	NEC
Armagh City	—		1–2	—	3–3	4–1
Ballinamallard United	—	—	—	2–0	—	—
Ballyclare Comrades	—	2–2	—	—		—
Institute	4–3	—	2–1	—	3–3	—
Newington	—	2–1	—	—	—	3–2
Newry City	—	3–0	2–2		—	—

Updated to match(es) played on 19 April 2025. Source: NIFL Championship
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.

NIFL Championship play-off

The eleventh-placed club will face the second-placed club from the 2024–25 NIFL Premier Intermediate League in a two-legged play-off for the final place in the 2025–26 NIFL Championship.