2012–13 IFA Championship

IFA Championship
Season 2012–13

The 2012–13 IFA Championship (known as the Belfast Telegraph Championship for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the fifth season since its establishment after a major overhaul of the league system in Northern Ireland. The season began on 10 August 2012 and ended on 4 May 2013. From next season onwards, the league would be operated by the Northern Ireland Football League, which was taking over from the Irish Football Association (IFA) for the 2013–14 season.[2]

In Championship 1, Ards were confirmed as the champions on 20 April 2013 after a 1–1 draw against Institute, securing promotion back to the top flight for the first time since the 2005–06 season.[3] Warrenpoint Town finished as runners-up, and qualified for the promotion/relegation play-off against Donegal Celtic. The tie ended 2–2 on aggregate with Warrenpoint Town winning on the away goals rule to reach the top flight for the first time in the club's history. Donegal Celtic were relegated to next season's Championship 1. Earlier in the season, Newry City were wound up and their IFA membership was later terminated. All of their results were also expunged.[4] As a result of Newry's expulsion from the league, only the club that finished in 13th, Tobermore United, was relegated from Championship 1, and there was no relegation from Championship 2.[5]

In Championship 2, winners Knockbreda were promoted to Championship 1, along with runners-up Ballyclare Comrades. Chimney Corner finished bottom for the fourth successive season but were saved from relegation by Newry City's demise.

Team changes from 2011–12

Ballinamallard United were last season's winners of Championship 1, achieving promotion to the 2012–13 IFA Premiership. Carrick Rangers replaced them for this season's Championship 1, after finishing in 12th place in the previous season's Premiership. Newry City missed out on promotion as they finished as runners-up, but were defeated 3–2 by Lisburn Distillery in the Promotion/Relegation play-off.

Promoted from Championship 1 to IFA Premiership

Relegated from IFA Premiership to Championship 1

Promoted from Championship 2 to Championship 1

Relegated from Championship 1 to Championship 2

Club dissolved

Championship 1

IFA Championship 1
Champions Ards
Promoted Ards
Warrenpoint Town
Relegated Tobermore United
Matches played 156
Goals scored 507 (3.25 per match)
Biggest home win Carrick Rangers 6–0 Dergview
Biggest away win Larne 0–6 Carrick Rangers
Highest scoring Larne 3–5 Dundela
Tobermore United 2–6 Institute
Tobermore United 4–4 Larne
Warrenpoint Town 5–3 Dundela
Dundela 5–3 Carrick Rangers
Dundela 4–4 Limavady United

Stadia and locations

Club Stadium Location Capacity
Ards Clandeboye Park Bangor 2,850 (500 seated)
Bangor Clandeboye Park Bangor 2,850 (500 seated)
Carrick Rangers Taylors Avenue Carrickfergus 6,000 (400 seated)
Coagh United Hagan Park Coagh 2,000 (179 seated)
Dergview Darragh Park Castlederg 1,200 (100 seated)
Dundela Wilgar Park Belfast 2,500 (100 seated)
Harland & Wolff Welders Tillysburn Park Belfast 3,000 (100 seated)
Institute Riverside Stadium Drumahoe 3,110 (1,540 seated)
Larne Inver Park Larne 1,100 (656 seated)
Limavady United The Showgrounds Limavady 524 (274 seated)
Loughgall Lakeview Park Loughgall 3,000 (180 seated)
Tobermore United Fortwilliam Park Tobermore 1,500 (100 seated)
Warrenpoint Town Milltown Playing Fields Warrenpoint 500 (100 seated)

League table

Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Ards (C) (P) 24 18 5 1 56 19 +37 59 Promotion to NIFL Premiership
2 Warrenpoint Town (O) (P) 24 15 5 4 46 23 +23 50 Qualification to NIFL Premiership play-off
3 Institute 24 14 5 5 50 23 +27 47
4 Dundela 24 13 4 7 62 51 +11 43
5 Carrick Rangers 24 11 6 7 48 32 +16 39
6 Harland & Wolff Welders 24 10 4 10 37 35 +2 34
7 Dergview 24 7 6 11 27 39 12 27
8 Larne 24 5 9 10 24 40 16 24
9 Coagh United 24 6 5 13 35 51 16 23
10 Bangor 24 6 5 13 23 42 19 23
11 Loughgall 24 6 5 13 27 48 21 23
12 Limavady United 24 5 6 13 34 49 15 21
13 Tobermore United (R) 24 6 3 15 38 55 17 21 Relegation to NIFL Championship 2 

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored; 4th head-to-head points; 5th head-to-head goal difference
As a result of Newry City dissolving, only the 13th-placed club was relegated.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.

Results

Each team plays every other team twice (once at home, and once away) for a total of 24 games.

Home ╲ Away ARD BGR CRKCOADGVDNDHARINSLRNLIMLGLTOBWPT
Ards 10 10 20 20 52 21 11 21 40 32 20 20
Bangor 02 12 23 10 23 02 03 30 11 21 10 03
Carrick Rangers 11 12 20 60 30 10 22 11 20 00 50 21
Coagh United 15 31 23 01 03 11 12 30 33 31 23 14
Dergview 00 00 00 30 13 41 11 13 21 11 21 13
Dundela 22 51 53 05 40 23 21 11 44 12 42 10
Harland & Wolff Welders 23 41 12 51 31 21 02 00 23 02 20 11
Institute 22 01 50 23 20 00 20 20 10 20 32 12
Larne 12 00 06 00 11 35 12 04 20 00 10 11
Limavady United 05 31 31 11 02 34 01 12 01 52 20 02
Loughgall 04 11 21 31 04 14 42 13 20 11 01 14
Tobermore United 02 31 43 11 42 23 12 26 44 33 30 01
Warrenpoint Town 31 11 11 30 20 53 00 21 03 20 20 32

Source: rsssf.com
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Championship 2

IFA Championship 2
Champions Knockbreda
Promoted Knockbreda
Ballyclare Comrades
Matches played 240
Goals scored 905 (3.77 per match)
Biggest home win Armagh City 11–1 Chimney Corner
Biggest away win Sport & Leisure Swifts 1–8 Knockbreda
Chimney Corner 0–7 Lurgan Celtic
Highest scoring Armagh City 11–1 Chimney Corner

Stadia and locations

Club Stadium Location Capacity
Annagh United Tandragee Road Portadown 1,250 (100 seated)
Armagh City Holm Park Armagh 3,000 (330 seated)
Ballyclare Comrades Dixon Park Ballyclare 1,800 (500 seated)
Ballymoney United Riada Stadium Ballymoney 5,752 (218 seated)
Banbridge Town Crystal Park Banbridge 1,500 (100 seated)
Chimney Corner Allen Park Antrim 2,000 (100 seated)
Glebe Rangers Riada Stadium Ballymoney 5,752 (218 seated)
Killymoon Rangers Mid Ulster Sports Arena Cookstown 1,000 (100 seated)
Knockbreda Breda Park Knockbreda 1,000 (100 seated)
Lurgan Celtic Knockrammer Park Lurgan 1,000 (100 seated)
Moyola Park Mill Meadow Castledawson 2,000 (200 seated)
Portstewart Seahaven Portstewart 1,000 (100 seated)
PSNI Newforge Lane Belfast 500 (112 seated)
Queen's University Dub Stadium Belfast 1,000 (100 seated)
Sport & Leisure Swifts Glen Road Heights Belfast 500 (215 seated)
Wakehurst Mill Meadow Castledawson 1,000 (200 seated)

League table

Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Knockbreda (C) (P) 30 25 2 3 106 25 +81 77 Promotion to NIFL Championship 1
2 Ballyclare Comrades (P) 30 23 2 5 77 28 +49 71
3 Armagh City 30 21 3 6 81 34 +47 66
4 Lurgan Celtic 30 20 3 7 71 43 +28 63
5 Glebe Rangers 30 15 7 8 58 41 +17 52
6 Wakehurst 30 16 4 10 61 50 +11 52
7 Queen's University 30 13 6 11 65 43 +22 45
8 PSNI 30 14 1 15 60 48 +12 43
9 Banbridge Town 30 11 7 12 57 58 1 40
10 Ballymoney United 30 10 7 13 53 67 14 37
11 Annagh United 30 9 7 14 39 53 14 34
12 Moyola Park 30 6 10 14 35 51 16 28
13 Portstewart 30 5 7 18 37 70 33 22
14 Sport & Leisure Swifts 30 5 5 20 41 101 60 20
15 Killymoon Rangers 30 4 7 19 38 85 47 19
16 Chimney Corner 30 3 2 25 26 108 82 11 No Relegation

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored; 4th head-to-head points; 5th head-to-head goal difference
As a result of Newry City dissolving, there was no relegation from Championship 2.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.

Results

Each team plays every other team twice (once at home, and once away) for a total of 30 games.

Home ╲ Away ANN ARM BCCBMYBBTCHIGBEKMRKNBLGCMOYPSTPSNQUESLSWAK
Annagh United 11 02 00 14 22 01 20 14 02 11 31 13 11 01 14
Armagh City 21 10 71 10 111 30 51 25 10 10 20 13 21 72 31
Ballyclare Comrades 31 20 02 21 41 11 20 10 21 12 20 21 21 60 20
Ballymoney United 11 15 14 23 51 10 41 11 02 11 40 11 05 41 04
Banbridge Town 12 02 32 31 50 02 41 04 22 22 62 32 02 33 01
Chimney Corner 12 04 26 32 12 12 21 03 07 21 12 16 04 06 04
Glebe Rangers 31 41 24 00 62 10 40 11 04 31 44 10 23 11 11
Killymoon Rangers 01 05 16 15 32 22 35 13 43 22 11 12 22 42 10
Knockbreda 61 10 12 61 40 50 31 21 80 30 80 21 62 41 42
Lurgan Celtic 22 41 21 31 30 30 21 31 03 10 52 21 10 50 25
Moyola Park 14 01 02 61 11 32 11 00 24 02 10 12 11 33 01
Portstewart 02 00 04 23 11 30 02 73 01 22 00 12 22 20 02
PSNI 02 13 15 23 12 20 13 40 13 31 01 31 01 40 72
Queen's University 10 12 22 31 03 50 03 00 13 01 50 41 13 70 31
Sport & Leisure Swifts 12 26 02 05 22 32 10 33 18 12 14 13 21 04 25
Wakehurst 43 11 13 11 22 21 13 20 10 24 30 10 12 43 21

Source: rsssf.com
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

References

  1. BELFAST TELEGRAPH SPONSOR THE IFA CHAMPIONSHIP
  2. "NORTHERN IRELAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE". NIFL Premiership.
  3. "Ards secure Championship and promotion". BBC Sport. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  4. "Newry City's membership of the IFA is terminated". BBC Sport. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  5. "IFA CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE STATEMENT". ifachampionship.com. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
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