2011–12 IFA Premiership
| Season | 2011–12 |
|---|---|
| Champions |
Linfield 51st Irish title |
| Relegated | Carrick Rangers |
| Champions League | Linfield |
| Europa League |
Portadown Cliftonville Crusaders |
| Matches played | 228 |
| Goals scored | 743 (3.26 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Gary McCutcheon (27 goals) |
| Biggest home win |
Linfield 5–0 Donegal Celtic Glentoran 6–1 Carrick Rangers Linfield 5–0 Crusaders |
| Biggest away win |
Lisburn Distillery 0–5 Glentoran Dungannon Swifts 0–5 Glentoran |
| Highest scoring | Ballymena Utd 3–7 Cliftonville |
|
← 2010–11
2012–13 →
|
|
The 2011–12 IFA Premiership (known as the Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the fourth season since its establishment after a major overhaul of the league system in Northern Ireland, and the 111th season of Irish league football overall. The season began on 6 August 2011, and ended on 28 April 2012.
Linfield were the defending champions, after winning their 50th title last season. They successfully defended their title, to win the league for the sixth time in seven seasons after a 2–1 home win over Portadown on 7 April 2012.
Carrick Rangers were relegated to Championship 1 after only one season in the top flight. Dungannon Swifts' 2–1 win over Donegal Celtic on 21 April 2012 left them bottom of the table by four points, with only one game remaining. Lisburn Distillery retained their Premiership status by defeating Newry City 3–2 over two legs in the promotion/relegation play-off.
2010–11 IFA Championship 1 winners Carrick Rangers were promoted to this season's Premiership, with last season's bottom-placed Premiership club Newry City replacing them in Championship 1.
Championship 1 runners-up Limavady United were not eligible to take part in a promotion/relegation play-off against last season's 11th-placed Premiership club Donegal Celtic, as they did not attain the required domestic licence.
1 Carrick Rangers played their home matches at Crusaders' Seaview ground.
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd number of goals scored; 4th head-to-head points; 5th head-to-head goal difference
12011–12 Irish Cup runners-up Crusaders qualified for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, as cup winners Linfield had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
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