IFA confirm 'significant restructure of the men's football pyramid in Northern Ireland' with changes set to come into place in 2026

It includes the introduction of a new Conference National League which would sit under the NIFL Premiership and Championship with changes looking to be delivered ahead of the 2026/27 season in accordance with the Irish FA Corporate Strategy 2022-2027.

The new men’s pyramid would see three ‘Conference’ tiers, which alongside the Premiership and Championship would be known as ‘Performance’, while tier six – categorised as ‘Everyday’ – sees NAFL, MUFL and BPL intermediate teams taking part and tier seven would be junior football.

Clubs are being asked to declare if they see themselves as Performance, which the IFA defines as having “aspirations to progress through the pyramid and continually compete at the highest level of competition possible and play on a national basis” or Everyday, which is “designed to provide regular, competitive football on a regional basis for teams and players with a philosophy based on participation”.

The new Conference National League would become the third-tier of football in Northern Ireland and allows teams at that level to compete against each other on a nationwide scale.

Both the Premiership and Championship are classified as senior football under the changes while tier three to five are termed as conference football.

While putting forward their case for change, the IFA wrote in the document:

1. To establish a dependable mechanism for promotion and relegation across the highest levels of men’s amateur and professional game.
2. Improve playing standards below the Senior Professional Leagues - Best v Best of Amateur Football.
3. Improve the quality of football facilities and spectator experience via enhanced ground criteria and invest €1million in club facilities.

The document also says that promotion/relegation to/from Everyday Game Structure/Performance Game Structure will remain unchanged from existing PIL – Intermediate Football mechanisms.

The IFA say they “will support the appointed league operator who will confirm the application process for interested clubs and the composition of leagues for commencement of Season 2026/27”.

Registrations of Interest in operating the Conference Layer opened on Wednesday, May 8 and close at 12pm tomorrow (Wednesday, May 15). You can view the full document here.