Latest news with #NIFL
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
NIFL Premiership new season kicks-off with six live games on BBC Sport NI
There's a feast of live NIFL Sports Direct Premiership football coming up in the new season with BBC Sport NI serving up two live matches in the opening weekend. The first live game is the curtain raiser to the 2025/26 season on August 8, between Coleraine and Larne – one of five live streamed games in August. September sees the first live TV game of the new season featuring the big Belfast derby between Glentoran and Champions Linfield at The Oval. After the season opener at the Showgrounds, newly promoted Bangor host Cliftonville in the live streamed game on August 10 at Clandeboye Park. The third match sees David Healy's Linfield make the trip to the Ballymena Showground on Friday 15 August to take on Jim Ervin's Ballymena United who will be hoping to repeat the positive start they made to last year's campaign. That's followed on August 19 for the game between Cliftonville and last season's runners-up, Larne. Coleraine and Linfield round off August's live streamed games before the Belfast Derby between Glentoran and Linfield on Friday 12 September on BBC Two Northern Ireland. The live streamed games will be available on BBC iPlayer and on the BBC Sport NI website with Glentoran – Linfield live on BBC Two NI and BBC iPlayer. Coleraine v Larne – Friday 8 August BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport NI Online Bangor v Cliftonville – Sunday 10 August BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Online Ballymena v Linfield – Friday 15 August BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Online Cliftonville v Larne – Tuesday 19 August BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Online Coleraine v Linfield – Friday 29 August BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Online Glentoran v Linfield – Friday 12 September BBC Two NI & BBC iPlayer KM2 Follow For More
Belfast Telegraph
6 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Irish League pyramid's drastic change confirmed with three new divisions to be introduced
The Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) on Thursday confirmed a radical restructuring of the game here which will see the end of the Premier Intermediate League and THREE new Leagues introduced in a FIVE-TIER pyramid system plus the Championship increase from 12 teams to 16 from the 2026/27 season.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NIFL set for two-tier restructure for 2026-27
The Northern Ireland Football League has announced a restructure for the 2026-27 season. NIFL is the body that runs the Irish Premiership, Championship and Premier Intermediate Leagues - the top three divisions in Northern Ireland which each contain 12 teams. However, a restructure will see an expanded 16-team Championship formed and bring an end to the Premier Intermediate League for the 2026-27 season. Instead, a National Conference League will be formed for tiers three to five of the football pyramid in Northern Ireland. The structure of the Irish Premiership will remain unchanged and NIFL says the goal is to have five divisions of 12 teams within "three to four years". At the end of the 2025-26 season, there will be no relegation from the Championship and the top four teams from the Premier Intermediate League will be promoted to the second tier for the restructure. The remaining teams will be part of the National Conference League. NIFL says the move is an "evolution" and chief operating officer Steven Mills said it came as a result of both Irish FA and NIFL strategies. "I believe they create a clear performance pathway for ambitious clubs, while also challenging existing clubs to further develop and progress," said Mills. "A lot of work from key stakeholders has gone into this, and we thank them all for their input, most importantly our clubs. "This also further highlights the urgent need for the NI Football Fund to come to fruition and for increased investment to continue growing the game, as our clubs continue to face the evolving challenges and needs of their communities." In addition to the restructure, the NIFL board has a new Professional Game Ground Criteria, which is a five-year plan to raise standards across the Premiership and Championship.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
NIFL set for two-tier restructure for 2026-27
The Northern Ireland Football League has announced a restructure for the 2026-27 season. NIFL is the body that runs the Irish Premiership, Championship and Premier Intermediate Leagues - the top three divisions in Northern Ireland which each contain 12 teams. However, a restructure will see an expanded 16-team Championship formed and bring an end to the Premier Intermediate League for the 2026-27 a National Conference League will be formed for tiers three to five of the football pyramid in Northern structure of the Irish Premiership will remain unchanged and NIFL says the goal is to have five divisions of 12 teams within "three to four years".At the end of the 2025-26 season, there will be no relegation from the Championship and the top four teams from the Premier Intermediate League will be promoted to the second tier for the restructure. The remaining teams will be part of the National Conference says the move is an "evolution" and chief operating officer Steven Mills said it came as a result of both Irish FA and NIFL strategies. "I believe they create a clear performance pathway for ambitious clubs, while also challenging existing clubs to further develop and progress," said Mills."A lot of work from key stakeholders has gone into this, and we thank them all for their input, most importantly our clubs. "This also further highlights the urgent need for the NI Football Fund to come to fruition and for increased investment to continue growing the game, as our clubs continue to face the evolving challenges and needs of their communities."In addition to the restructure, the NIFL board has a new Professional Game Ground Criteria, which is a five-year plan to raise standards across the Premiership and Championship.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
David Healy makes 'man on the moon' claim as he rips into disciplinary processes
David Healy has taken a swipe at the Irish FA's disciplinary procedures claiming 'the man of the moon can see they are not fit for purpose'. Speaking after Friday night's penalty shootout defeat to Dungannon Swifts in the Charity Shield the Blues boss hit out at how several incidents were handled last season. Advertisement Healy highlighted the decisions to rescind the red cards handed out to Josh Carson and Andy Ryan. READ MORE: David Healy makes transfer funds admission ahead of lucrative Champions League clash READ MORE: Conor McGregor parties with legendary American musican in pub after long-standing feud He also voiced his frustration with a decision which affected his own side as he claimed an 11th hour clarification on the competitive status of the season opener against the Swifts now means Scott Whiteside will miss the opening league fixture of the new campaign at home to the same opponents. Healy said there was confusion in the run up to the game at Windsor Park claiming Whiteside, who was sent off in the final game of last season at Coleraine, was initially deemed ineligible for the game against the Irish Cup winners due to suspension. Advertisement The Linfield boss revealed the club were given late clarification from the powers that be that the defender was eligible to take part in the game meaning he would have to wait until August 9 to complete his ban. This has been borne out in statements from both the IFA and the NI Football League, who confirmed the Charity Shield as being a non-competitive fixture meaning it does not count towards a player's suspension. "There was a little bit of frustration for me coming into the game," said Healy, who is also set to miss the opening league game due to suspension. "I spoke to NIFL regarding the fixture. For me it should have been a competitive fixture. "This wasn't to clear myself of an accumulation of yellow cards. I will serve my suspension in the first league game of the season because I've been told it is competition specific. Advertisement "The strange one for me was Scott Whiteside who also picked up a second yellow at Coleraine. "The rules are in my opinion that you automatically miss the next competitive game which for me was against Dungannon in the Shield. "On Monday Scott was suspended for the Shield game and free going forward and over the course of 48 hours before the game it changed to Scott being free to being involved in the Shield and they are going competition specific. "I don't get that because if we had been playing in the first round of the County Antrim Shield or a League Cup match, he automatically misses that so the contradictory quotes coming from the IFA Disciplinary baffles me at times. Advertisement "Scott was suspended on Monday and then later in the week he was free to play because they had decided then it was a non-competitive game and he would have to miss the first league game." Despite Healy's claims NIFL confirmed the Charity Shield is not deemed a competitive fixture in the calendar. "The suspension for a red card in a competitive match is served in the next competitive match but the Charity Shield is considered a pre-season fixture and suspensions from competitive games are not carried over to it," said a spokesperson. The IFA also confirmed this stating: "As the Charity Shield is classified as a friendly by the competition organiser [NIFL], the player in question will serve his suspension during the first League game of the upcoming season." Advertisement Healy also blasted the general disciplinary matters in Northern Ireland highlighting the incidents involving Josh Carson, who received a retrospective red card for a challenge against Ethan McGee on the opening day of last season, and Andy Ryan's dismissal against the Blues for a tackle during their game at Windsor Park back in February before both players successfully appealed the decisions. "The man in the moon can see the disciplinary code in this country is not fit for purpose," the Linfield boss declared. "Josh Carson got a yellow card in the first day of the season, it then got upgraded (to a red) and then it took them seven months to downgrade it to a yellow where he didn't have to serve his suspension. "Andy Ryan got sent off here at Windsor Park and then the sending off was downgraded and they had gone against the referee. There are people in suits making the decision on a refereeing matter which again I think is baffling. Larne's Andy Ryan was sent off against Linfield in February -Credit:INPHO/Stephen Hamilton "(Referee) Shane (Andrews) had made the decision, in my opinion on the night he got it right, then there was the subsequent messing about after it. Advertisement "This isn't picking on Larne or Andy Ryan because he is a fantastic player but the subsequent five-match ban he got after the game somehow disappears with an appeal. "The cost of the disciplinary hearings here and the appeals process must be an absolute fortune. That's money wasted out of our game with months and months of appeals. "The IFA and disciplinary code cannot take the heat. I know it is the process of being altered because people have torn it to shreds over the last 12 months."
