2009–10 IFA Premiership
Encyclopedia
| Club | Stadium | Town/city | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United Ballymena United F.C. Ballymena United, is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club hails from the town of Ballymena, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Ballymena Showgrounds. Club colours are sky blue and white. Away Colours are Red and BlackThe club was... |
The Showgrounds Ballymena Showgrounds The Ballymena Showgrounds is a football stadium in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is home to Ballymena United F.C.. It is owned by Ballymena Borough Council... |
Ballymena Ballymena Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census.... |
8,000 (4,000 seats) |
| Cliftonville Cliftonville F.C. Cliftonville Football & Athletic Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. Founded on 20 September 1879 by John McCredy McAlery in the suburb of Cliftonville in north Belfast, it is the oldest football club in Ireland and celebrated its 130th... |
Solitude Solitude (football ground) Solitude is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Cliftonville. The stadium holds 6,224, but is currently restricted to 2,180 under safety legislation. The stadium was built in 1890.... |
Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... |
8,000 (2,099 seats) |
| Coleraine Coleraine F.C. Coleraine F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1927, hails from Coleraine, County Londonderry and plays its home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white... |
The Showgrounds | Coleraine Coleraine Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections... |
6,500 (1,500 seats) |
| Crusaders Crusaders F.C. Crusaders Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish association football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Stephen Baxter, appointed in 2005... |
Seaview Seaview (football ground) Seaview is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Crusaders F.C.. The stadium holds 3,054. The stadium has a 4G pitch.... |
Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... |
6,500 (500 seats) |
| Dungannon Swifts Dungannon Swifts F.C. Dungannon Swifts F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1949, has risen from the Mid-Ulster league to the top tier in Northern Ireland since its election to the Irish League First Division in 1997... |
Stangmore Park Stangmore Park Stangmore Park is a football stadium in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Dungannon Swifts F.C.. The stadium holds 3,000 spectators.-External links:*... |
Dungannon Dungannon Dungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time... |
3,000 (300 seats) |
| Glenavon Glenavon F.C. Glenavon F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1889, hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park... |
Mourneview Park Mourneview Park Mourneview Park is a football stadium in Lurgan, and is the home ground of Glenavon F.C.. The stadium holds 5,000 and was built in 1895. The 2009 CIS Cup final was held there: the first such final to be held outside Belfast.-External links:**... |
Lurgan Lurgan Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and in the north-eastern corner of the county. Part of the Craigavon Borough Council area, Lurgan is about 18 miles south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway... |
5,500 (4,000 seats) |
| Glentoran Glentoran F.C. Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield... |
The Oval The Oval (Belfast) The Oval is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland.The stadium has been home to Glentoran since 1892. Before that the team used Ormeau Park from 1882 to 1886. Then the team shifted to King's Field in Ballymacarrett for four years until 1890. The team's next destination was Musgrave Park... |
Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... |
15,250 (5,000 seats) |
| Institute Institute F.C. Institute F.C. is a Northern Irish intermediate football club who play in IFA Championship 1.The club, founded in 1905, are based in the Drumahoe area of Derry and play their home matches at the Riverside Stadium in the YMCA Grounds... |
YMCA Grounds YMCA Grounds YMCA Grounds or Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Drumahoe, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Institute F.C. of the IFA Championship. The stadium holds 3,110. In May 2008 Institute secured £800,000 worth of funding for ambitious improvements to the ground. In... |
Drumahoe Drumahoe Drumahoe is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies to the east of Derry and was once a village, but has been absorbed by the city. It is home to Institute F.C., an Irish Premier League football club. The busy A6 road from Belfast to Derry passes through the... |
4,000 (600 seats) |
| Linfield Linfield F.C. Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team.... |
Windsor Park Windsor Park Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:... |
Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... |
20,400 (14,400 seats) |
| Lisburn Distillery | New Grosvenor Stadium New Grosvenor Stadium New Grosvenor Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Ballyskeagh, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is currently used for football matches and greyhound racing, the latter under the operating name Drumbo Park... |
Lisburn Lisburn DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn... |
8,000 (2,000 seats) |
| Newry City Newry City F.C. Newry City is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1923, is based in Newry, County Down and plays its home matches at The Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white... |
The Showgrounds The Showgrounds (Newry) The Showgrounds is a football stadium in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Newry City. The stadium holds 7,949, but is currently restricted to 2,275 under safety legislation.... |
Newry Newry Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population... |
6,500 (800 seats) |
| Portadown Portadown F.C. Portadown F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club which plays in the IFA Premiership.The club was founded in the late 1880s and joined the Irish League in 1924. It is based in Portadown in County Armagh and plays its home games at Shamrock Park... |
Shamrock Park Shamrock Park Shamrock Park is a football stadium in Portadown, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Portadown F.C.. Shamrock Park used to be used for stock-car racing, but this has been discontinued in recent years... |
Portadown Portadown Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast... |
8,000 (3,500 seats) |
League table
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Matches 1–22
During matches 1–22 each team played every other team twice (home and away).Matches 23–33
During matches 23–33 each team played every other team once (either at home or away). This means that during matches 1–33 each team played every other team 3 times (either 1 home, 2 away or 2 home, 1 away).Matches 34–38
During matches 34–38 each team will play every other team in their half of the table once. As this will be the fourth time that teams have played this season, home sides in this round are chosen so that teams have played each other twice at home and twice away.Top six
Bottom six
Top scorers
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rory PattersonRory Patterson Rory Christopher Patterson is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a forward for Linfield, on loan from Plymouth Argyle, and the Northern Ireland national team... |
Coleraine Coleraine F.C. Coleraine F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1927, hails from Coleraine, County Londonderry and plays its home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white... |
30 |
| 2 | Darren Boyce |
Coleraine Coleraine F.C. Coleraine F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1927, hails from Coleraine, County Londonderry and plays its home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white... |
17 |
| George McMullan |
Cliftonville Cliftonville F.C. Cliftonville Football & Athletic Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. Founded on 20 September 1879 by John McCredy McAlery in the suburb of Cliftonville in north Belfast, it is the oldest football club in Ireland and celebrated its 130th... |
17 | |
| 4 | Liam Boyce |
Cliftonville Cliftonville F.C. Cliftonville Football & Athletic Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. Founded on 20 September 1879 by John McCredy McAlery in the suburb of Cliftonville in north Belfast, it is the oldest football club in Ireland and celebrated its 130th... |
16 |
| 5 | Kevin Braniff Kevin Braniff Kevin Braniff is a Northern Irish striker who currently plays with Northern Ireland side Portadown and who has been capped by Northern Ireland.-Club career:... |
Portadown Portadown F.C. Portadown F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club which plays in the IFA Premiership.The club was founded in the late 1880s and joined the Irish League in 1924. It is based in Portadown in County Armagh and plays its home games at Shamrock Park... |
14 |
| Richard Lecky |
Portadown Portadown F.C. Portadown F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club which plays in the IFA Premiership.The club was founded in the late 1880s and joined the Irish League in 1924. It is based in Portadown in County Armagh and plays its home games at Shamrock Park... |
14 | |
| David Rainey David Rainey (footballer) David Rainey is a footballer from Northern Ireland who plays for Irish League side Crusaders as a striker. He has the most number of club goals of the current squad, scoring over 100 in all competitions.-Club career:... |
Crusaders Crusaders F.C. Crusaders Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish association football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Stephen Baxter, appointed in 2005... |
14 | |
| Glenn Ferguson Glenn Ferguson Glenn 'Spike' Ferguson is a former Northern Irish footballer. He played for Ards and Glenavon before joining Linfield in January 1998 for an Irish League record transfer fee of £55,000... |
Lisburn Distillery Lisburn Distillery F.C. Lisburn Distillery is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1880, originated in west Belfast, where it was based at Grosvenor Park at Distillery Street off the Grosvenor Road until 1971... |
14 | |
| 9 | Timmy Adamson |
Dungannon Swifts Dungannon Swifts F.C. Dungannon Swifts F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1949, has risen from the Mid-Ulster league to the top tier in Northern Ireland since its election to the Irish League First Division in 1997... |
13 |
| 10 | Gary McCutcheon |
Portadown Portadown F.C. Portadown F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club which plays in the IFA Premiership.The club was founded in the late 1880s and joined the Irish League in 1924. It is based in Portadown in County Armagh and plays its home games at Shamrock Park... |
12 |
UEFA Champions League
Having won the league in 2008–09 Glentoran represented the league in the premier football competition. They started in the second qualifying round, and were handed a tough draw against Israeli side Maccabi HaifaMaccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa is a sports club in Israel, founded in 1913, and part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football, Weightlifting, swimming, Tennis, Table tennis, Volleyball, Team handball,...
. Their worst fears were confirmed as they were hammered 6–0 away and 4–0 at home, 10–0 on aggregate. This ended Glentoran's participation in European football for the season.
UEFA Europa League
Due to the abolition of the Intertoto Cup in 2008, the remaining teams qualified for the new Europa League instead. Linfield and Lisburn Distillery entered in the first qualifying round. The Blues were drawn against DanishDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
club Randers. This was not a pleasant experience however, as after a 4–0 defeat in Denmark, Randers completed the disappointment with a 3–0 win at Mourneview Park, with Linfield forced to use Glenavon's ground as work was being done to the pitch at their Windsor Park home.
Lisburn Distillery were handed a tie with FC Zestafoni from Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. Despite being confident of qualification, they were taken apart 5–1 at home. With only pride to play for in the second leg, Lisburn were dumped out of Europe after a 6–0 hammering, which meant they lost the tie 11–1 on aggregate.
The last remaining club from Northern Ireland, Crusaders entered in the second qualifying round. They were drawn with FK Rabotnički
FK Rabotnicki
FK Rabotnički is a football club that plays at the Philip II Arena in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. They currently compete in the Macedonian First League.-History:...
from Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. With not even a draw for a Northern Irish side before they started, Crusaders were the only hope of restoring pride to the league after some damaging European experiences in the weeks before. In a superb home performance, they did just that with a welcome 1–1 draw. They were quite unlucky in the second leg, where they were defeated 4–2 and 5–3 on aggregate. This result ended the IFA Premiership's interest in European competition for the remainder of the season.
UEFA coefficient and ranking
In the 2009–10 season, the league picked up a disappointing 0.125 points, which knocked the league down two places. The only co-efficient points awarded to the league were for Crusaders' 1–1 home draw with Rabotnički. The IFA Premiership's co-efficient points total at the end of the season was 1.624. It was ranked by UEFAUEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
as the 49th best league in Europe out of 53.
- 47
MontenegroMontenegroMontenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... - 48
Faroe IslandsFaroe IslandsThe Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland... - 49 Northern Ireland
- 50
LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south... - 51
AndorraAndorraAndorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
Relegation play-offs
The relegation/promotion system was slightly modified because Donegal CelticDonegal Celtic
Donegal Celtic is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1970, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Donegal Celtic Park. Club colours are green and white in Celtic-style hoops...
, runners-up of the 2009–10 IFA Championship
2009–10 IFA Championship
-League table:-Results:Each team played every other team twice for a total of 26 games....
, were the only IFA Championship club to hold the Domestic Club License required to participate in the IFA Premiership. Lisburn Distillery
Lisburn Distillery F.C.
Lisburn Distillery is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1880, originated in west Belfast, where it was based at Grosvenor Park at Distillery Street off the Grosvenor Road until 1971...
, who finished in 11th place, avoided having to play a relegation play-off, which was passed down instead to Institute
Institute F.C.
Institute F.C. is a Northern Irish intermediate football club who play in IFA Championship 1.The club, founded in 1905, are based in the Drumahoe area of Derry and play their home matches at the Riverside Stadium in the YMCA Grounds...
, who finished in 12th place, and would normally have been automatically relegated. The first leg ended 0-0, with Institute
Institute F.C.
Institute F.C. is a Northern Irish intermediate football club who play in IFA Championship 1.The club, founded in 1905, are based in the Drumahoe area of Derry and play their home matches at the Riverside Stadium in the YMCA Grounds...
having a penalty saved in injury-time at the end of the game. The second leg stayed goalless until the 85th minute, when Stephen McAlorum scored for Donegal Celtic
Donegal Celtic
Donegal Celtic is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1970, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Donegal Celtic Park. Club colours are green and white in Celtic-style hoops...
, to relegate Institute
Institute F.C.
Institute F.C. is a Northern Irish intermediate football club who play in IFA Championship 1.The club, founded in 1905, are based in the Drumahoe area of Derry and play their home matches at the Riverside Stadium in the YMCA Grounds...
to the 2010–11 IFA Championship
2010–11 IFA Championship
-Stadia and locations:-League table:-Results:Each team plays every other team twice for a total of 26 games....
.
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Donegal Celtic win 1–0 on aggregate.