Country Northern Ireland Number of teams 12 | Divisions 1 | |
Founded 2016
2013-16 (as NIFL Reserve League)
2003–13 (as IFA Reserve League)
1999–2003 (as Irish League Reserve League)
1977–1999 (as Irish League B Division Section 2) Domestic cup(s) IFA Intermediate Cup
George Wilson Cup Current champions Cliftonville Olympic (2013–14) | ||
The NIFL Development League (prior to 2016, the NIFL Reserve League) is an intermediate Association football league in Northern Ireland consisting of the reserve teams of the twelve NIFL Premiership clubs.
Contents
Current members (2015–16)
History
The NIFL Development League is the successor to the NIFL Reserve League, which in turn was the successor to the Irish League B Division Section 2 which was formed in 1977, when the B Division split into two sections: Section 1 for intermediate clubs and the other for the reserve teams of senior clubs. Since the foundation of the B Division in 1951, these two categories of teams had competed together. In 1999, Section 1 of the B Division was renamed the Irish League Second Division and Section 2 became the Irish League Reserve League. In 2003, on the formation of the Irish Premier League, the IFA took direct control and the league was renamed the IFA Reserve League. In 2013, the Northern Ireland Football League took over, and the league was again renamed, to the NIFL Reserve League. In 2016, it became the NIFL Development League, with an age restriction imposed on players.