2022–23 NIFL Championship

The 2022–23 NIFL Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the NIFL Championship since gaining senior status. It is the second-tier of the Northern Ireland Football League - the national football league in Northern Ireland. The season began on 13 August 2022 and concluded on 29 April 2023.

NIFL Championship
Season2022–23
Dates13 Aug 2022 – 29 Apr 2023
ChampionsLoughgall
PromotedLoughgall
RelegatedWarrenpoint Town

Newry City were the champions of the previous season and promoted to the 2022–23 NIFL Premiership. They were replaced by Warrenpoint Town, who were relegated from the 2021–22 NIFL Premiership. 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
Locations of the 2022–23 NIFL Championship teams
Locations of the Belfast-based 2022–23 NIFL Championship teams

Stadia and locations
Club Stadium Location Capacity[1]
Annagh UnitedTandragee RoadPortadown1,250 (100 seated)
ArdsBangor Fuels ArenaBangor1,895 (500 seated)
Ballinamallard UnitedFerney ParkBallinamallard2,000 (250 seated)
Ballyclare ComradesDixon ParkBallyclare5,333
DergviewDarragh ParkCastlederg1,200
DundelaWilgar ParkBelfast2,500
Harland & Wolff WeldersTillysburn ParkBelfast3,000
InstituteRyan McBride Brandywell StadiumDerry8,200
KnockbredaBreda ParkBelfast1,000
LoughgallLakeview ParkLoughgall3,000
NewingtonSolitudeBelfast8,000 (3,000 seated)
Warrenpoint TownMilltownWarrenpoint1,450

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1]
1 Loughgall (C, P) 38 23 8 7 76 25 +51 77 Promotion to the NIFL Premiership
2 Warrenpoint Town (R) 38 21 8 9 67 45 +22 71 Relegation to the NIFL Premier Intermediate League[lower-alpha 2]
3 Annagh United 38 17 8 13 58 43 +15 59 Qualification for the NIFL Premiership play-off
4 Dundela 38 18 4 16 57 58 −1 58
5 Ards 38 17 5 16 72 75 −3 56
6 Ballyclare Comrades 38 14 13 11 66 63 +3 55
7 Harland & Wolff Welders 38 17 4 17 69 65 +4 55
8 Ballinamallard United 38 14 10 14 50 59 −9 52
9 Newington 38 12 7 19 64 73 −9 43
10 Dergview 38 11 8 19 51 68 −17 41
11 Institute 38 10 8 20 50 63 −13 38
12 Knockbreda (O) 38 8 9 21 47 90 −43 33 Qualification for the NIFL Championship play-off
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[2]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. Teams play each other three times (33 matches), before the league is split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).
  2. Warrenpoint Town were relegated after being refused an NIFL Championship license and replaced in the NIFL Premiership play-off by Annagh United. Institute were reprieved from the NIFL Championship play-off and replaced by Knockbreda, who were reprieved from relegation.

Results

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.

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.[3]

First leg
30 May 2023 Ballymacash Rangers 2–4 Knockbreda The Bluebell Stadium
19:45 BST (UTC+01) Barr 34'
Morrison 90+3'		 Rutkowski 45+5', 70'
McGreevy 47'
Greer 55'

Second leg
3 June 2023 Knockbreda 0–0
(4–2 agg.)		 Ballymacash Rangers Breda Park
13:00 BST (UTC+01)

Season statistics

Top scorers
Rank Player Club Goals
1Adam SalleyArds27
2Matthew FergusonH&W Welders26
3Stephen MurrayAnnagh United18
-Darius RoohiBallyclare Comrades18

References
  1. "NIFL Championship Venues 2021-2022". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  2. "Rules and Regulations". NIFL. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  3. "Premiership Play-Off postponed after Warrenpoint Town denied playing license by Irish FA". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast Telegraph. 27 April 2023.
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