Irish Football League
 |
|
| Country |
 Northern Ireland
|
|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Divisions |
NIFL Premiership NIFL Championship NIFL Premier Intermediate League NIFL Premiership Development League NIFL Youth League |
| Number of teams | 36 |
| Level on pyramid | 1–3 |
| Relegation to |
Ballymena & Provincial League Mid-Ulster Football League Northern Amateur League Northern Ireland Intermediate League |
| Domestic cup(s) |
Irish Cup NIFL Charity Shield |
| League cup(s) |
Northern Ireland Football League Cup George Wilson Cup |
| International cup(s) |
UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League Setanta Sports Cup |
| Current champions |
Crusaders (6th title) (2015–16) |
| Most championships | Linfield (51) |
| TV partners |
BBC NI (highlights via BBC iPlayer) Bwin.Party |
| Website | www |
 2015–16
|
|
The Northern Ireland Football League (commonly abbreviated to NIFL) is the national football league of Northern Ireland. It was formed in 2013 to assume independent collective management of the top three levels of the Northern Ireland football league system; namely the Premiership, Championship 1 and Championship 2, which had been under the administration of the Irish Football Association. From 2016-17, the second-tier will attain senior status and will be called the Championship and the third tier will remain at intermediate level and be renamed the Premier Intermediate League.
In addition to the league divisions, the NIFL also operates the Northern Ireland Football League Cup for its member clubs, as well as the NIFL Development League and George Wilson Cup for their reserve teams, and the NIFL Youth League and NIFL Youth League Cup for their youth teams. Operated as a limited company, the 40 member clubs act as shareholders with one vote each. The NIFL is the successor to the Irish Football League, which was historically the league for the entire island of Ireland upon its formation in 1890; it became Northern Ireland's national league after the partition of Ireland in 1921.
Originally formed in 1890, the national football league of Northern Ireland is the second-oldest national league in the world, being formed a week earlier than the Scottish Football League. Only the Football League in England is older.
The Irish Football League was originally formed as the football league for all of Ireland (although initially all of its member clubs were in fact based in what would become Northern Ireland). It became the league for Northern Ireland in 1921 after partition, with a separate league and association (the Football Association of the Irish Free State – now called the Football Association of Ireland) – being formed for the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland). The league's records from its days in operation as the league for all of Ireland stand as the records for Northern Ireland (as is the case for the Northern Ireland national football team).
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