Irish League Re-organsiation, from 2026/27

[EalingGreen]

Under the auspices of the IFA, the Irish League has been reorganised pretty regularly since around the start of this century on a pyramid basis i.e. Junior to Intermediate to Senior, with varying degrees of movement via Promotion & Relegation between the levels.

More recently the Northern Ireland Football League (i.e. the member clubs) have taken responsibility for administering the top three tiers, Premiership and Championship (both Senior) and Premier Intermediate League. The Prem and Champ currently have 12 clubs each, while the PIL has 14.

Now for whatever reason, the NIFL wants to divest itself of managing the PIL, to concentrate solely on the two (Senior) tiers. Which coincides nicely with the IFA's latest plans to reorganise football below Senior level, as part of their overall 2022-27 Strategy Programme.

The new proposals were originally for 5 tiers each of 12 teams - Prem, Champ, Conference Prem, Conference 1 and Conference 2, with the last three to be regulated by the Northern Amateur League (the foremost of the various lower leagues). But now it seems (probably in order to get support for the changes) that at the end of next season (2025/26), four teams will be promoted from the third tier (PIL) to the Championship, making the latter either 16 teams (no immediate relegation) or 14 teams (2 relegated), yet tbc.

The Belfast Tele has finally found out details of this latest iteration, as follows: https://archive.ph/DmmpL

Anyhow, the general principle is that this reflects the intention "... to create a pathway for clubs where they can go all the way to the top flight of football in the country." (IFA).

While the fact that this is just the latest iteration of several over a 20-odd year process shows how there cannot be a permanent, set format which satisfies everyone, but the system required regular adjustment to meet the differing challenges and changes etc, as and when these crop up. While at the same time, the IFA is progressivly seeking to improve standards re stadia, facilities and infrastructure etc, as a necessary qualification for clubs seeking to rise up the pyramid.

Which in the context of the LOI, suggests that your new two division National League is just the start of the process, not its end.