Country Northern Ireland Level on pyramid 2 | Number of teams 12 Promotion to NIFL Premiership | |
Relegation to NIFL Premier Intermediate League Domestic cup(s) Irish Cup
IFA Intermediate Cup | ||
The NIFL Championship is the second division of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland.
It was founded in 2008 as the Premier Intermediate League for members of the previous IFA Intermediate League that met the new stricter membership criteria, though was marketed as the IFA Championship. In 2009, it was extended to two divisions: Championship 1 and Championship 2 with promotion and relegation between the two. In 2013, the Championship and IFA Premiership were replaced by a single Northern Ireland Football League, independent of the Irish Football Association (IFA).
Under reforms agreed by the NIFL clubs in 2014, from 2016-17, Championship 1 acquired senior status, continuing as the NIFL Championship, while Championship 2 continued as the Premier Intermediate League, retaining its intermediate status.