2015–16 NIFL Championship
# 2015–16 NIFL Championship

The 2015–16 NIFL Championship (known as the Belfast Telegraph Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the eighth and final season of the competition in this format since its establishment after a major overhaul of the league system in Northern Ireland, and the third season of the league as part of the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL), which took over from the Irish Football Association (IFA) for the 2013–14 season onwards. The season began on 8 August 2015, and concluded on 30 April 2016.

## Changes from 2014–15

### Competition changes

League restructure proposals to be introduced over a three-season period were approved by the NIFL on 25 June 2014. The second phase, coming into effect this season, amended the Championship rules:

* Club development – a Club Development/Support programme will be developed and implemented to assist clubs to develop their club infrastructure and comply with licensing requirements.
* Championship 2 – following the relegation of Ballymoney United to regional football the previous season, Championship 2 will reduce in size to 14 clubs this season, before reducing further to 12 clubs next season.
* Promotion/relegation play-off – for the second consecutive season, the highest ranked club with a Championship licence, finishing in positions 2–6 in Championship 1 will participate in a promotion/relegation play-off for a place in the Premiership.
* Promotion and relegation – the three lowest ranked clubs (12th, 13th, 14th) will be relegated from Championship 1 and there will be a play-off between the club finishing in 11th position in Championship 1 and the runners-up in Championship 2. There will be no play-off if the club in Championship 2 has not received a licence for senior football. The five lowest ranked clubs (10th to 14th) will also be relegated from Championship 2 to regional football. However, if there is no eligible regional champion for promotion, only four clubs will be relegated with the 10th-placed club reprieved.

### Team changes

Carrick Rangers won the previous season's Championship 1 title, winning promotion back to the top flight for the first time since their relegation in the 2011–12 season. In the bottom two, Dundela and PSNI were relegated to this season's Championship 2, while Lurgan Celtic and Annagh United went in the opposite direction after finishing first and second in Championship 2. For the second successive season, a club was relegated to regional football. Ballymoney United finished bottom of Championship 2 and were relegated to a regional division for the following season. As a result, Championship 2 reduced in size to 14 clubs.

Promoted from Championship 1 to the Premiership

* Carrick Rangers (1st in NIFL Championship 1)

Relegated from the Premiership to Championship 1

* Institute (12th in NIFL Premiership)

Promoted from Championship 2 to Championship 1

* Lurgan Celtic (1st in Championship 2)
* Annagh United (2nd in Championship 2)

Relegated from Championship 1 to Championship 2

* PSNI (13th in Championship 1)
* Dundela (14th in Championship 1)

Relegated from Championship 2 to Level 4 Regional League

* Ballymoney United (15th in Championship 2)

## Championship 1

### Stadia and locations

| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity |
| - | - | - | - |
| Annagh United | Tandragee Road | Portadown | 1,250 (100 seated) |
| Ards | Clandeboye Park | Bangor | 2,850 (500 seated) |
| Armagh City | Holm Park | Armagh | 3,000 (330 seated) |
| Ballyclare Comrades | Dixon Park | Ballyclare | 1,800 (500 seated) |
| Bangor | Clandeboye Park | Bangor | 2,850 (500 seated) |
| Dergview | Darragh Park | Castlederg | 1,200 (100 seated) |
| Donegal Celtic | Donegal Celtic Park | Belfast | 2,330 (650 seated) |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | Tillysburn Park | Belfast | 3,000 (100 seated) |
| Institute | Riverside Stadium | Drumahoe | 3,110 (1,540 seated) |
| Knockbreda | Breda Park | Knockbreda | 1,000 (100 seated) |
| Larne | Inver Park | Larne | 1,100 (656 seated) |
| Lisburn Distillery | New Grosvenor Stadium | Ballyskeagh | 7,000 (540 seated) |
| Loughgall | Lakeview Park | Loughgall | 3,000 (180 seated) |
| Lurgan Celtic | Knockrammer Park | Lurgan | 1,000 (100 seated) |

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ards (C, P) | 26 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 59 | 35 | +24 | 54 | Promotion to the NIFL Premiership |
| 2 | Harland & Wolff Welders | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 54 | 28 | +26 | 51 | |
| 3 | Armagh City | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 64 | 36 | +28 | 44 | |
| 4 | Knockbreda | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 48 | 32 | +16 | 43 | |
| 5 | Institute | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 40 | 20 | +20 | 42 | Qualification for the promotion play-off |
| 6 | Larne | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 64 | 45 | +19 | 42 | |
| 7 | Lurgan Celtic | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 39 | |
| 8 | Ballyclare Comrades | 26 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 44 | 40 | +4 | 37 | |
| 9 | Loughgall | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 45 | 54 | −9 | 36 | |
| 10 | Bangor (R) | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 44 | 40 | +4 | 35 | Demotion to the NIFL Premier Intermediate League |
| 11 | Dergview | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 41 | 40 | +1 | 35 | |
| 12 | Annagh United | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 37 | 57 | −20 | 27 | |
| 13 | Donegal Celtic (R) | 26 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 34 | 80 | −46 | 10 | Relegation to the NIFL Premier Intermediate League |
| 14 | Lisburn Distillery (R) | 26 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 18 | 85 | −67 | 10 | Relegation to the NIFL Premier Intermediate League |

* ↑ Teams played each other twice (once at home and once away) for a total of 26 matches.
* 1 2 3 Harland & Wolff Welders, Armagh City and Knockbreda did not apply for the Promotion Licence required for promotion to the Premiership. As a result, they were ineligible for the promotion play-off.
* ↑ As the highest-ranked Championship 1 club outside the top two to successfully attain a Promotion Licence, Institute qualified for the promotion play-off against the 11th-placed Premiership club.
* ↑ Bangor were demoted to the third tier as their application for the mandatory second tier Championship Licence was refused. As a result, the highest-ranked Championship 2 club to successfully attain the licence (PSNI) was automatically promoted to replace Bangor in the second tier.
* ↑ Limavady United (in Championship 2) applied for the mandatory second tier 'Championship Licence' but were refused. As a result, the 12th-placed Championship 1 club was reprieved from relegation.

### Results

Each team will play every other team twice (once at home, and once away) for a total of 26 games.

| Home \ Away | ANN | ARD | ARM | BCC | BGR | DGV | DGC | H&W | INS | KNB | LRN | LIS | LGL | LGC |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Annagh United | | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–5 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 2–3 |
| Ards | 4–0 | | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 |
| Armagh City | 1–1 | 4–3 | | 4–0 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 6–0 |
| Ballyclare Comrades | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Bangor | 1–3 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 0–1 | | 2–0 | 5–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 |
| Dergview | 4–4 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 | | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 3–1 |
| Donegal Celtic | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–6 | | 1–2 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 1–6 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | 3–0 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 6–2 | | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 |
| Institute | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| Knockbreda | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Larne | 2–0 | 1–6 | 4–4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | | 6–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 |
| Lisburn Distillery | 0–3 | 0–3 | 1–9 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 0–7 | | 1–5 | 0–4 |
| Loughgall | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–7 | 3–7 | 3–0 | | 0–1 |
| Lurgan Celtic | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | |

## Championship 2

### Stadia and locations

| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity |
| - | - | - | - |
| Banbridge Town | Crystal Park | Banbridge | 1,500 (100 seated) |
| Coagh United | Hagan Park | Coagh | 2,000 (179 seated) |
| Dollingstown | Planters Park | Lurgan | 1,000 (100 seated) |
| Dundela | Wilgar Park | Belfast | 2,500 (100 seated) |
| Glebe Rangers | Riada Stadium | Ballymoney | 5,752 (218 seated) |
| Limavady United | The Showgrounds | Limavady | 1,000 (174 seated) |
| Moyola Park | Mill Meadow | Castledawson | 1,000 (200 seated) |
| Newington YC | Seaview | Belfast | 3,383 (all seated) |
| Portstewart | Seahaven | Portstewart | 1,000 (100 seated) |
| PSNI | Newforge Lane | Belfast | 500 (112 seated) |
| Queen's University | Dub Stadium | Belfast | 1,000 (100 seated) |
| Sport & Leisure Swifts | Glen Road Heights | Belfast | 500 (215 seated) |
| Tobermore United | Fortwilliam Park | Tobermore | 1,500 (100 seated) |
| Wakehurst | Mill Meadow | Castledawson | 1,000 (200 seated) |

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Limavady United (C) | 26 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 66 | 27 | +39 | 59 | |
| 2 | PSNI (P) | 26 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 59 | 23 | +36 | 59 | Promotion to the NIFL Championship |
| 3 | Sport & Leisure Swifts | 26 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 59 | 28 | +31 | 47 | |
| 4 | Tobermore United | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 44 | |
| 5 | Moyola Park | 26 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 41 | |
| 6 | Banbridge Town | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 36 | |
| 7 | Queen's University | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 35 | 37 | −2 | 36 | |
| 8 | Dundela | 26 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 38 | 47 | −9 | 36 | |
| 9 | Newington YC | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 38 | 38 | 0 | 34 | |
| 10 | Dollingstown (R) | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 46 | 51 | −5 | 34 | Relegation to the tier 4 regional leagues |
| 11 | Glebe Rangers (R) | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 34 | 46 | −12 | 32 | Relegation to the tier 4 regional leagues |
| 12 | Coagh United (R) | 26 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 28 | 54 | −26 | 22 | Relegation to the tier 4 regional leagues |
| 13 | Portstewart (R) | 26 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 34 | 58 | −24 | 21 | Relegation to the tier 4 regional leagues |
| 14 | Wakehurst (R) | 26 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 67 | −42 | 7 | Relegation to the tier 4 regional leagues |

* ↑ Teams play each other twice (once at home and once away) for a total of 26 matches.
* ↑ Limavady United were ineligible for promotion as their application for the mandatory second tier licence was refused.
* ↑ Bangor (in Championship 1) were demoted to the third tier as they failed to apply for the mandatory second tier 'Championship Licence'. As a result, PSNI, the highest-ranked Championship 2 club to successfully attain the licence was automatically promoted to replace Bangor in the second tier.

### Results

Each team will play every other team twice (once at home, and once away) for a total of 26 games.

| Home \ Away | BBT | COA | DOL | DND | GBE | LIM | MOY | NTN | PST | PSNI | QUE | SLS | TOB | WAK |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Banbridge Town | | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–6 | 3–4 | 1–0 |
| Coagh United | 1–1 | | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 2–5 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Dollingstown | 1–5 | 3–1 | | 4–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 4–2 |
| Dundela | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–3 | | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 4–0 | 3–2 |
| Glebe Rangers | 1–0 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 3–1 | | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Limavady United | 2–2 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 5–1 |
| Moyola Park | 0–0 | 3–0 | 6–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–4 | | 0–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 |
| Newington YC | 0–0 | 3–1 | 5–2 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 |
| Portstewart | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 3–4 | | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 2–2 |
| PSNI | 3–3 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 7–0 | 3–0 | 5–0 | | 4–0 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Queen's University | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 4–5 | 4–0 | | 1–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 |
| Sport & Leisure Swifts | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | | 0–2 | 7–1 |
| Tobermore United | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–4 | | 0–1 |
| Wakehurst | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–5 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–4 | 0–0 | |
