2025–26 NIFL Premier Intermediate League
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 August 2025 – 25 April 2026 |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
The 2025–26 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (known as the Playr-Fit Premier Intermediate League for sponsorship reasons) is the ninth season of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League (the third tier of the Northern Ireland Football League - the national football league in Northern Ireland).
Teams
The league consisted of fourteen teams; eleven teams remaining from the previous season, one team promoted from Level 4, and two teams relegated from the NIFL Championship.
The promoted team was the 2024–25 NIFL Premier Intermediate League play-off winners Strabane Athletic. They replaced the 2024–25 NIFL Premier Intermediate League bottom placed team Tobermore United.[1]
The relegated teams were the 2024–25 NIFL Championship play-off losers Ballyclare Comrades and bottom-placed team Newry City. They replaced the 2024–25 NIFL Championship champions Warrenpoint Town and play-off winners Queen's University.
With the NIFL Championship expanding to sixteen teams from the following season, this was the first season where the top four teams of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League were promoted to the NIFL Championship.
| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity[2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyclare Comrades | Dixon Park | Ballyclare |
2398 (538 seated) |
| Ballymacash Rangers | The Bluebell Stadium | Lisburn | 1,280 |
| Banbridge Town | Crystal Park | Banbridge | 1,500 |
| Coagh United | Hagan Park | Coagh | 1,000 (150 seated) |
| Dergview | Darragh Park | Castlederg | 1,280 |
| Dollingstown | Planter's Park | Dollingstown | 1,000 |
| Knockbreda | Breda Park | Belfast | 1,000 |
| Lisburn Distillery | New Grosvenor Stadium | Lisburn | 1,500 (790 seated) |
| Moyola Park | Fortwilliam Park | Tobermore | 2,000 (100 seated) |
| Newry City | The Showgrounds | Newry | 2,275 |
| Oxford Sunnyside | Knockramer Park | Lurgan | 1,600 |
| Portstewart | Mullaghacall | Portstewart | 1,000 |
| Rathfriland Rangers | Iveagh Park | Rathfriland | 1,000 |
| Strabane Athletic | Melvin Sports Arena | Strabane | 1,000 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newry City | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 16 | Promotion to the NIFL Championship |
| 2 | Moyola Park | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 15 | |
| 3 | Ballyclare Comrades | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 15 | |
| 4 | Dergview | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 13 | |
| 5 | Knockbreda | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 11 | |
| 6 | Rathfriland Rangers | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 5 | +14 | 10 | |
| 7 | Dollingstown | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 17 | +8 | 10 | |
| 8 | Portstewart | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 9 | |
| 9 | Oxford Sunnyside | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 15 | −4 | 9 | |
| 10 | Coagh United | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 8 | |
| 11 | Ballymacash Rangers | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 7 | |
| 12 | Strabane Athletic | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 7 | |
| 13 | Lisburn Distillery | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 4 | |
| 14 | Banbridge Town | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 32 | −29 | −12[a] | Relegation to Level 4 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points per game; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Drawing of lots[3] [4] [5]
Notes:
- ^ Banbridge Town were deducted twelve points for two rule breaches.
Results
Each team plays every other team twice (home and away).
NIFL Premier Intermediate League play-off
The 2025–26 Ballymena & Provincial Football League champions will face the 2025–26 Mid-Ulster Football League champions in a two-legged play-off for the final place in the 2026-27 NIFL Premier Intermediate League.
References
- ^ "Strabane secures an historic promotion". Donegal Live. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "NIFL Premier Intermediate Venues 2025-2026". Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Rules and Regulations". NIFL. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ "NIFL Premier Intermediate Venues 2025-2026". Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ "Strabane Athletic Make History!". 3 June 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.