Summary
The NIFL Premiership (NIR1), or Dankse Bank Premiership, is the top division in Northern Ireland's football system. At the end of the 2019-2020 NIR1 season, the NIR1 teams listed below qualify for the following non-league play:
- 2020-2021 UEFA Champions League - Preliminary Round:
- 1st place 2019-2020 NIR1 team
- 2020-2021 UEFA Europa League - Preliminary Round:
- 2019-2020 NIR1 UEFA Europa League Playoffs winner
The winner of the 2019-2020 Irish Football Association Challenge Cup (Irish Cup), typically a NIR1 team, also receives a berth in the Preliminary Round of the 2020-2021 UEFA Europa League.
Due to COVID-19, the NIR1 season was cut short at 31 regular season matches per team.
Leagues Pyramid - Northern Ireland
Abbrev | League | # of Teams |
---|---|---|
NIR1 | Dankse Bank Premiership | 12 |
NIR2 | NIFL Championship | 12 |
NIR3 | NIFL Premier Intermediate League | 12 |
Competition Structure
Season | # of Teams | ||
Regular 10 Aug 2019 - 21 Mar 2020 | Champ/Releg Rounds 24 Mar 2020 - 27 Apr 2020 | UEFAEL Playoffs 30 Apr 2020 - 15 May 2020 | 12: NIR1 (10 minimum), NIR2 (2 maximum) |
Season Format
The 2019-2020 NIR1 season consists of 2 stages. In the first stage, each NIR1 team plays the other 11 NIR1 teams 3 times for a total of 33 league matches. In each 3 match series one team hosts 2 home matches and the other team hosts 1 home match. In the second stage, the top six teams play each other a 4th time (5 more matches) to determine final rankings for UEFA Champions League and Europa League placements, and the bottom six teams play each other a 4th time (5 more matches) to determine the relegation placements. Total points are for all 38 matches. Table ranking ties are broken by (1) goal difference, (2) goals scored, (3) head-to-head points, (4) head-to-head goal difference, then (5) a drawing.
Playoffs
Not applicable.
Relegation
At the end of the 2019-2020 NIR1 season, the 12th place NIR1 team is relegated to the NIR2, and the 11th place NIR1 team enters into a Home-Away highest aggregate score playoff with the 2nd place NIR2 team. The playoff winner and the 1st place NIR2 team play in the 2020-2021 NIR1, and the playoff loser plays in the 2020-2021 NIR2.
More Info...
1st Stage
League | Home | Road | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
POS | MP | W - D - L | PTS | CPTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
1 | Linfield FC | 31 | 22 -3-6 | 69 | - | 71 | 24 | 47 | 15 | 12 -2-1 | 38 | 44 | 9 | 35 | 16 | 10 -1-5 | 31 | 27 | 15 | 12 |
2 | Coleraine FC | 31 | 19 -8-4 | 65 | - | 64 | 24 | 40 | 15 | 9 -5-1 | 32 | 29 | 10 | 19 | 16 | 10 -3-3 | 33 | 35 | 14 | 21 |
3 | Crusaders FC | 31 | 17 -8-6 | 59 | - | 66 | 30 | 36 | 16 | 10 -3-3 | 33 | 35 | 13 | 22 | 15 | 7 -5-3 | 26 | 31 | 17 | 14 |
4 | Cliftonville | 31 | 18 -5-8 | 59 | - | 48 | 22 | 26 | 15 | 9 -2-4 | 29 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 9 -3-4 | 30 | 25 | 11 | 14 |
5 | Glentoran FC | 31 | 17 -7-7 | 58 | - | 60 | 33 | 27 | 16 | 10 -3-3 | 33 | 34 | 13 | 21 | 15 | 7 -4-4 | 25 | 26 | 20 | 6 |
6 | Larne FC | 31 | 16 -8-7 | 56 | - | 59 | 29 | 30 | 16 | 7 -6-3 | 27 | 32 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 9 -2-4 | 29 | 27 | 14 | 13 |
7 | Glenavon FC | 31 | 10 -5-16 | 35 | - | 46 | 71 | -25 | 15 | 7 -5-3 | 26 | 27 | 20 | 7 | 16 | 3 -0-13 | 9 | 19 | 51 | -32 |
8 | Carrick Rangers FC | 31 | 10 -2-19 | 32 | - | 34 | 47 | -13 | 16 | 5 -0-11 | 15 | 17 | 25 | -8 | 15 | 5 -2-8 | 17 | 17 | 22 | -5 |
9 | Dungannon Swifts FC | 31 | 8 -6-17 | 30 | - | 36 | 76 | -40 | 16 | 6 -3-7 | 21 | 23 | 33 | -10 | 15 | 2 -3-10 | 9 | 13 | 43 | -30 |
10 | Ballymena United FC | 31 | 7 -6-18 | 27 | - | 34 | 54 | -20 | 16 | 4 -3-9 | 15 | 20 | 30 | -10 | 15 | 3 -3-9 | 12 | 14 | 24 | -10 |
11 | Warrenpoint Town FC | 31 | 5 -3-23 | 18 | - | 26 | 85 | -59 | 15 | 3 -1-11 | 10 | 15 | 40 | -25 | 16 | 2 -2-12 | 8 | 11 | 45 | -34 |
12 | Institute FC | 31 | 2 -9-20 | 15 | - | 23 | 72 | -49 | 15 | 1 -2-12 | 5 | 8 | 41 | -33 | 16 | 1 -7-8 | 10 | 15 | 31 | -16 |
Championship Group Relegation Group |
Results
Larne FC | CANC | Coleraine FC | Inver Park |
Dungannon Swifts FC | CANC | Glenavon FC | Stangmore Park |
Cliftonville | CANC | Warrenpoint Town FC | Solitude (Belfast) |
Carrick Rangers FC | CANC | Crusaders FC | Belfast Loughshore Hotel Arena |
Ballymena United FC | CANC | Institute FC | The Showgrounds (Ballymena) |
Glentoran FC | CANC | Linfield FC | The Oval |
Warrenpoint Town FC | CANC | Ballymena United FC | Milltown Playing Fields |
Linfield FC | CANC | Larne FC | Windsor Park (Belfast) |
Institute FC | CANC | Cliftonville | The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium |
Glenavon FC | CANC | Carrick Rangers FC | Mourneview Park |
Crusaders FC | CANC | Glentoran FC | Seaview (Belfast) |
Coleraine FC | CANC | Dungannon Swifts FC | The Showgrounds (Coleraine) |
Larne FC | 10 | Glenavon FC | Inver Park |
Glentoran FC | 02 | Cliftonville | The Oval |
Dungannon Swifts FC | 44 | Warrenpoint Town FC | Stangmore Park |
Crusaders FC | 21 | Institute FC | Seaview (Belfast) |
Carrick Rangers FC | 02 | Linfield FC | Belfast Loughshore Hotel Arena |
Ballymena United FC | 02 | Coleraine FC | The Showgrounds (Ballymena) |
Crusaders FC | 00 | Cliftonville | Seaview (Belfast) |
Coleraine FC | 21 | Glenavon FC | The Showgrounds (Coleraine) |