- IFA Championship
Infobox football league
pixels = 200
country = NIR
founded =2008
2004–2008 "(as IFA Intermediate League First Division)"
2003–2004 "(as Irish League First Division)"
1999–2003 "(as Irish League Second Division)
1977–1999 "(as Irish League B Division Section 1)
1951–1977 "(as Irish League B Division)
teams = 17
promotion =IFA Premiership
relegation = none
levels = 2
domest_cup =Irish Cup Irish League Cup IFA Intermediate Cup
confed_cup =
champions = LoughgallThe IFA Championship is one level below the
IFA Premiership , which is Northern Ireland's national league. Clubs in the Championship have intermediate status.It was founded in 2008 to succeed the IFA Intermediate League which folded as part of the reorganisation of top-level football in Northern Ireland that saw the creation of stricter entry criteria in respect of the newly-established Premiership and Championship.
For one season only, 2008-09, there is also an
IFA Interim Intermediate League for those former members of the IFA Intermediate League which failed to meet the criteria for the Championship. These clubs will have a year to make improvements in order to join the Championship for 2009-10, at which point the Championship is likely to split into two divisions.History
The IFA Championship is the successor to the IFA Intermediate League, the Irish Football League First Division during its last season (when it had intermediate status), and ultimately the Irish League B Division (latterly known as the Irish League Second Division).
The B Division of the Irish League was founded in 1951, and originally consisted of the reserve teams of the senior Irish League clubs alongside some of the top intermediate clubs. The B Division was split geographically into North and South sections in 1974 (with a play-off to determine the winners in 1974-75 and 1975-76), and then into Section 1 (containing the intermediate clubs) and Section 2 (the reserve teams of senior clubs) in 1977.
In 1999, the B Division Section 1 was renamed as the Irish League Second Division, and Section 2 became the Reserve League.
There was never any automatic promotion and relegation between either the B Division or Second Division and the senior Irish League.
In 2003, the Irish Premier League was formed by the top sixteen senior teams in the senior Irish League (which, since 1995 had been divided into a Premier Division and a First Division). The four remaining senior teams reverted to intermediate football, along with the top eight teams form the previous year's Second Division - in the Irish League First Division (which now became the top intermediate league), with the Second Division continuing with twelve teams. Automatic promotion and relegation between senior and intermediate football was introduced for the first time.
In 2004, the Irish Football League was wound up and replaced by the IFA Intermediate League, consisting of two divisions of twelve. This continued for four seasons.
Current Championship clubs
*Ards
*Armagh City
*Ballinamallard United
*Ballyclare Comrades
*Ballymoney United
*Banbridge Town
*Carrick Rangers
*Coagh United
*Dergview
*Donegal Celtic
*Glebe Rangers
*Killymoon Rangers
*Larne
*Limavady United
*Loughgall
*Portadown
*Tobermore United tadia
† Elected to senior Irish Football League
Irish League Second Division
* Promoted to
Irish Premier League ummary of champions
Notes
*fnb|(1) Reserve team of senior club
*fnb|(2) Now Newry City
*fnb|(3) After play-off between winners of North and South sections
*fnb|(4) Shared between winners of North and South sections
*fnb|(5) Now PSNI
*fnb|(6) Including one shared title
*fnb|(7) As Newry Town
*fnb|(8) As RUCee also
*
IFA Premiership
*IFA Interim Intermediate League
*IFA Reserve League
*IFA Intermediate Cup
*Irish Cup
*Irish Football League Cup
*County Antrim Shield
*Steel & Sons Cup
*Mid-Ulster Cup
*Bob Radcliffe Cup
*North West Senior Cup
*Craig Memorial Cup
*Northern Ireland football league system
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