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.
Source: NIFL Championship Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Drawing of lots[2] (C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated Notes:
^Teams play each other three times (33 matches), before the league is split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).
^Warrenpoint Town were refused an NIFL Championship license, resulting in disqualification from this season and demotion to the NIFL Intermediate League for the next season. Annagh United, who were in third place, accepted the NIFL's invite to take Warrenpoint's place in the NIFL Premiership play-off. Institute were reprieved from the NIFL Championship play-off and thus reprieved from relegation and replaced by Knockbreda, who were reprieved from automatic relegation, but had to compete again to stay in the division.
Results
Matches 1–22
During matches 1–22 each team plays every other team twice (home and away).
Source: NIFL Championship Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants. Notes:
^Originally a 2–0 win for Loughall; Loughall awarded a 3–0 win after Warrenpoint Town fielded an ineligible player.
^Originally a 0–2 win for Knockbreda; Newington awarded a 3–0 win after Knockbreda fielded an ineligible player.
Matches 23–33
During matches 23–33 each team plays every other team for the third time (either at home, or away).
Source: NIFL Championship Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.
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.
Source: NIFL Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
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.[3]
