Summary
The NIFL Premiership (NIR1), or Dankse Bank Premiership, is the top division in Northern Ireland's football system. At the end of the 2020-2021 NIR1 season, the NIR1 teams listed below qualify for the following non-league play:
- 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League - 1st Qualifying Round:
- 1st place 2020-2021 NIR1 team
- 2021-2022 UEFA Europa Conference League - 1st Qualifying Round:
- 2nd place 2020-2021 NIR1 team
- 2020-2021 NIR1 UEFA Europa Conference League Playoffs winner
The winner of the 2020-2021 Irish Football Association Challenge Cup (Irish Cup), typically a NIR1 team, also receives a berth in the 1st Qualifying Round of the 2021-2022 UEFA Europa Conference League.
Leagues Pyramid - Northern Ireland
Abbrev | League | # of Teams |
---|---|---|
NIR1 | Dankse Bank Premiership | 12 |
NIR2 | NIFL Championship | 12 |
NIR3 | NIFL Premier Intermediate League | 12 |
Competition Structure
Season | # of Teams | ||
Regular 17 Oct 2020 - 24 Apr 2021 | Champ/Releg Rounds 29 Apr 2021 - 29 May 2021 | UEFAECL Playoffs 1 Jun 2021 - 22 Jun 2021 | 12: NIR1 (10 minimum), NIR2 (2 maximum) |
Season Format
The 2020-2021 NIR1 season consists of 2 stages. In the first stage, each NIR1 team plays the other 11 NIR1 teams 3 times for a total of 33 league matches. In each 3 match series one team hosts 2 home matches and the other team hosts 1 home match. In the second stage, the top six teams play each other a 4th time (5 more matches) to determine final rankings for UEFA Champions League and Europa League placements, and the bottom six teams play each other a 4th time (5 more matches) to determine the relegation placements. Total points are for all 38 matches. Table ranking ties are broken by (1) goal difference, (2) goals scored, (3) head-to-head points, (4) head-to-head goal difference, then (5) a drawing.
Playoffs
Not applicable.
Relegation
At the end of the 2020-2021 NIR1 season, the 12th place NIR1 team is relegated to the NIR2, and the 11th place NIR1 team enters into a Home-Away highest aggregate score playoff with the 2nd place NIR2 team. The playoff winner and the 1st place NIR2 team play in the 2021-2022 NIR1, and the playoff loser plays in the 2021-2022 NIR2.
More Info...
2nd Stage
League | Home | Road | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
POS | MP | W - D - L | PTS | CPTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Linfield FC | 38 | 24 -6-8 | 78 | - | 83 | 38 | 45 | 19 | 15 -2-2 | 47 | 53 | 12 | 41 | 19 | 9 -4-6 | 31 | 30 | 26 | 4 |
2 | Coleraine FC | 38 | 21 -10-7 | 73 | - | 57 | 35 | 22 | 19 | 11 -5-3 | 38 | 27 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 10 -5-4 | 35 | 30 | 21 | 9 |
3 | Glentoran FC | 38 | 20 -11-7 | 71 | - | 65 | 32 | 33 | 20 | 12 -6-2 | 42 | 38 | 14 | 24 | 18 | 8 -5-5 | 29 | 27 | 18 | 9 |
4 | Larne FC | 38 | 18 -10-10 | 64 | - | 64 | 41 | 23 | 19 | 9 -5-5 | 32 | 31 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 9 -5-5 | 32 | 33 | 24 | 9 |
5 | Cliftonville | 38 | 17 -9-12 | 60 | - | 59 | 42 | 17 | 20 | 12 -3-5 | 39 | 39 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 5 -6-7 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 0 |
6 | Crusaders FC | 38 | 16 -6-16 | 54 | - | 62 | 50 | 12 | 18 | 9 -2-7 | 29 | 34 | 22 | 12 | 20 | 7 -4-9 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 0 |
Relegation | ||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Glenavon FC | 38 | 17 -11-10 | 62 | - | 72 | 65 | 7 | 19 | 8 -8-3 | 32 | 37 | 29 | 8 | 19 | 9 -3-7 | 30 | 35 | 36 | -1 |
2 | Ballymena United FC | 38 | 18 -7-13 | 61 | - | 67 | 44 | 23 | 20 | 9 -4-7 | 31 | 34 | 25 | 9 | 18 | 9 -3-6 | 30 | 33 | 19 | 14 |
3 | Portadown FC | 38 | 10 -6-22 | 36 | - | 50 | 78 | -28 | 20 | 6 -3-11 | 21 | 26 | 31 | -5 | 18 | 4 -3-11 | 15 | 24 | 47 | -23 |
4 | Warrenpoint Town FC | 38 | 9 -9-20 | 36 | - | 38 | 74 | -36 | 17 | 3 -6-8 | 15 | 22 | 30 | -8 | 21 | 6 -3-12 | 21 | 16 | 44 | -28 |
5 | Carrick Rangers FC | 38 | 5 -8-25 | 23 | - | 35 | 92 | -57 | 18 | 2 -5-11 | 11 | 23 | 43 | -20 | 20 | 3 -3-14 | 12 | 12 | 49 | -37 |
6 | Dungannon Swifts FC | 38 | 4 -5-29 | 17 | - | 22 | 83 | -61 | 19 | 3 -0-16 | 9 | 12 | 39 | -27 | 19 | 1 -5-13 | 8 | 10 | 44 | -34 |
2021-2022 UEFACL UEFAECL Playoffs 2021-2022 UEFAECL Relegation Playoffs Relegation |
1st Stage
League | Home | Road | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
POS | MP | W - D - L | PTS | CPTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
1 | Linfield FC | 33 | 22 -4-7 | 70 | - | 76 | 34 | 42 | 17 | 14 -2-1 | 44 | 49 | 9 | 40 | 16 | 8 -2-6 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 2 |
2 | Glentoran FC | 33 | 18 -9-6 | 63 | - | 61 | 29 | 32 | 16 | 11 -4-1 | 37 | 35 | 11 | 24 | 17 | 7 -5-5 | 26 | 26 | 18 | 8 |
3 | Coleraine FC | 33 | 18 -8-7 | 62 | - | 50 | 32 | 18 | 17 | 10 -4-3 | 34 | 24 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 8 -4-4 | 28 | 26 | 19 | 7 |
4 | Cliftonville | 33 | 16 -8-9 | 56 | - | 55 | 35 | 20 | 17 | 12 -2-3 | 38 | 37 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 4 -6-6 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 0 |
5 | Larne FC | 33 | 15 -10-8 | 55 | - | 56 | 35 | 21 | 17 | 9 -5-3 | 32 | 30 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 6 -5-5 | 23 | 26 | 21 | 5 |
6 | Crusaders FC | 33 | 16 -5-12 | 53 | - | 59 | 40 | 19 | 16 | 9 -2-5 | 29 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 7 -3-7 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 4 |
7 | Glenavon FC | 33 | 14 -10-9 | 52 | - | 56 | 57 | -1 | 16 | 6 -7-3 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 1 | 17 | 8 -3-6 | 27 | 28 | 30 | -2 |
8 | Ballymena United FC | 33 | 13 -7-13 | 46 | - | 50 | 40 | 10 | 17 | 6 -4-7 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 2 | 16 | 7 -3-6 | 24 | 26 | 18 | 8 |
9 | Portadown FC | 33 | 8 -6-19 | 30 | - | 40 | 65 | -25 | 17 | 4 -3-10 | 15 | 19 | 26 | -7 | 16 | 4 -3-9 | 15 | 21 | 39 | -18 |
10 | Warrenpoint Town FC | 33 | 6 -9-18 | 27 | - | 32 | 65 | -33 | 16 | 2 -6-8 | 12 | 19 | 29 | -10 | 17 | 4 -3-10 | 15 | 13 | 36 | -23 |
11 | Carrick Rangers FC | 33 | 4 -8-21 | 20 | - | 28 | 77 | -49 | 16 | 2 -5-9 | 11 | 20 | 33 | -13 | 17 | 2 -3-12 | 9 | 8 | 44 | -36 |
12 | Dungannon Swifts FC | 33 | 4 -4-25 | 16 | - | 18 | 72 | -54 | 16 | 3 -0-13 | 9 | 11 | 33 | -22 | 17 | 1 -4-12 | 7 | 7 | 39 | -32 |
Championship Group Relegation Group |
Results
Larne FC | 12 | Coleraine FC | Inver Park |
Glentoran FC | 20 | Crusaders FC | The Oval |
Cliftonville | 02 | Linfield FC | Solitude (Belfast) |
Warrenpoint Town FC | 31 | Carrick Rangers FC | Milltown Playing Fields |
Glenavon FC | 11 | Dungannon Swifts FC | Mourneview Park |
Ballymena United FC | 42 | Portadown FC | The Showgrounds (Ballymena) |
Cliftonville | 11 | Crusaders FC | Solitude (Belfast) |
Larne FC | 01 | Glentoran FC | Inver Park |
Portadown FC | 42 | Dungannon Swifts FC | Shamrock Park |
Carrick Rangers FC | 36 | Glenavon FC | Belfast Loughshore Hotel Arena |
Ballymena United FC | 30 | Warrenpoint Town FC | The Showgrounds (Ballymena) |
Coleraine FC | 11 | Linfield FC | The Showgrounds (Coleraine) |
Linfield FC | 12 | Larne FC | Windsor Park (Belfast) |
Glentoran FC | 02 | Cliftonville | The Oval |
Portadown FC | 21 | Carrick Rangers FC | Shamrock Park |
Dungannon Swifts FC | 13 | Ballymena United FC | Stangmore Park |
Crusaders FC | 01 | Coleraine FC | Seaview (Belfast) |
Glenavon FC | 40 | Warrenpoint Town FC | Mourneview Park |
Linfield FC | 31 | Crusaders FC | Windsor Park (Belfast) |
Glentoran FC | 11 | Coleraine FC | The Oval |