The 2022–23 NIFL Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the NIFL Championship since gaining senior status. It is the second-tier of the Northern Ireland Football League - the national football league in Northern Ireland. The season began on 13 August 2022 and concluded on 29 April 2023.
Newry City were the champions of the previous season and promoted to the 2022–23 NIFL Premiership. They were replaced by Warrenpoint Town, who were relegated from the 2021–22 NIFL Premiership. Queen's University were relegated to the 2022–23 NIFL Premier Intermediate League and replaced by Newington, the champions of the 2021–22 NIFL Premier Intermediate League.
Teams
Stadia and locations ClubStadiumLocationCapacityAnnagh UnitedTandragee RoadPortadown1,250 (100 seated)ArdsBangor Fuels ArenaBangor1,895 (500 seated)Ballinamallard UnitedFerney ParkBallinamallard2,000 (250 seated)Ballyclare ComradesDixon ParkBallyclare5,333DergviewDarragh ParkCastlederg1,200DundelaWilgar ParkBelfast2,500Harland & Wolff WeldersTillysburn ParkBelfast3,000InstituteRyan McBride Brandywell StadiumDerry8,200KnockbredaBreda ParkBelfast1,000LoughgallLakeview ParkLoughgall3,000NewingtonSolitudeBelfast8,000 (3,000 seated)Warrenpoint TownMilltownWarrenpoint1,450
League table
Results
Matches 1–22 During matches 1–22 each team plays every other team twice (home and away).
Matches 23–33 During matches 23–33 each team plays every other team for the third time (either at home, or away).
Matches 34–38 For the final five matches, the table splits into two halves, with the top six teams forming Section A and the bottom six teams forming Section B. Each team plays every other team in their respective section once. The fixtures are reversed from those played during rounds 23–33, ensuring that teams have played every other team in their respective section twice at home and twice away overall throughout the season.
Section A
Section B
NIFL Championship play-off The eleventh-placed club (Institute) were expected to face the second-placed club from the 2022–23 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (Ballymacash Rangers) for one place in the following season's Championship. However, after Warrenpoint Town were disqualified and expelled from the NIFL Championship, Institute were reprieved from the play-off and replaced by the bottom-placed NIFL Championship club, Knockbreda.
First leg
Second leg
Season statistics Top scorers Rank Player Club Goals1Adam SalleyArds272Matthew FergusonH&W Welders263Stephen MurrayAnnagh United18 -Darius RoohiBallyclare Comrades18
References
External links