Women's Premiership (Northern Ireland)
Football league
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Women's Premiership is the top level women's football league of Northern Irish league football. The league was called the NIWFA Division League 1 until 2003 and Premier League until 2015. In 2016, it was rebranded the Women's Premiership and is run by NIFL/ Irish League since.[1]
| |
| Founded | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Northern Ireland |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Divisions | 1 |
| Number of clubs | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Women's Championship |
| Domestic cup | Irish Women's Cup |
| League cup | NIFL Women's Premiership League Cup |
| International cup | UEFA Women's Champions League |
| Current champions | Cliftonville (3rd title) (2026) |
| Most championships | Glentoran (11 titles) |
| Broadcaster(s) | DAZN |
| Website | nifootballleague |
| Current: 2026 Women's Premiership | |
Ten teams play a double round robin to crown the champion, which qualifies for a spot in the UEFA Women's Champions League. The tenth place gets relegated to the Women's Championship 1, the ninth place plays a two-legged relegation playoff against the runner up of the Women's Championship.
History
In women's football the first league season was played out in 1977.[2] Organised by the Northern Ireland Women's Football Association (NIWFA) the league was simply called the NIWFA Division League 1.
In 2004 the Division 1 was replaced by the Women's Premier League.
In 2016, after 40 years of administering and developing women's football locally, the league was rebranded the Women's Premiership and is run now by the Northern Ireland Football League.[3] The main sponsor and name giver is Sports Direct.
Prior to the 2023 season, the Premiership introduced professional contracts for players, as well as games on Fridays and Sundays in addition to traditional Wednesday games.[4] Five Premiership teams will also take part in a new all-island competition during the summer.[5]
Sponsors
| Period | Sponsor |
|---|---|
| 2016–2022 | Danske Bank[6] |
| 2023– | Sports Direct[7] |
2026 Teams
The following teams make up the 2026 season.
Teams are listed in alphabetical order.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliftonville | Belfast (Oldpark) | Solitude | 2,530 |
| Crusaders Strikers | Belfast (Shore Road) | Seaview | 3,383 |
| Derry City | Derry | Brandywell Stadium | 6,300 |
| Glentoran | Belfast (Sydenham) | Blanchflower Stadium | 1,100 |
| Larne | Larne | Inver Park | 3,250 |
| Linfield | Belfast (Boucher Road) | New Midgley Park | n/a |
| Lisburn Ladies | Lisburn | Bluebell Stadium | 1,280 |
| Lisburn Rangers | Lisburn | Crewe Park | n/a |
List of champions
Before 2004 the winner of the Division 1 league was national champion. The first season was played out in 1977.[8][9]