Annual soccer tournament
Football league season
The
2012?13 IFA Premiership
(known as the
Danske Bank Premiership
for sponsorship reasons) was the 5th season of the
IFA Premiership
, the highest level of league football in
Northern Ireland
, and the 112th season of
Irish league
football overall.
Cliftonville
were champions, winning the league for the 4th time.
Summary
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The season began on 11 August 2012 and ended on 27 April 2013. This was the last season of the league under the control of the
Irish Football Association
. From the following season onwards, the league became part of the newly created
Northern Ireland Football League
.
[2]
Linfield
were the defending champions after winning their third consecutive title ? their 51st league title overall last season.
[3]
This season however,
Cliftonville
were the champions for the fourth time overall and the first time since the
1997?98 season
.
[4]
It was also the first time in eleven years that neither
Linfield
or
Glentoran
had won the title, with the previous occasion being
2001?02
when
Portadown
won their fourth title.
Lisburn Distillery
finished bottom of the table and were relegated to Championship 1 after a 2?0 defeat to
Ballymena United
on 16 April 2013. The club had participated in all 112 seasons of senior football so far, and at the time were one of only four clubs to have done so; the others being
Cliftonville
,
Linfield
and
Glentoran
. The club had not been outside the top division since winning the
2001?02 Irish League First Division
title, which at the time was the second tier of senior football. However, the restructuring of the league system in 2003 consolidated senior football into one division, which meant that this was the first time in the club's history that they had been relegated to intermediate football. This brought an end to both their 123-year stay in senior football, and their 11-year stay in the top flight.
[5]
11th-placed
Donegal Celtic
joined them in Championship 1, after losing on the
away goals rule
to
Warrenpoint Town
in the
Promotion/relegation play-off
following a 2?2 draw on aggregate.
[6]
This was the first time since the
2005?06 season
that two clubs had been promoted to, and relegated from the top flight.
Teams
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2011?12 Championship 1
winners
Ballinamallard United
were promoted to this season's Premiership after successfully gaining the required Championship Club Licence from the IFA.
[7]
Last season's bottom-placed Premiership club
Carrick Rangers
replaced them in Championship 1 after only one season in the top flight.
[8]
[9]
Championship 1 runners-up
Newry City
lost out on promotion, as last season's 11th placed club
Lisburn Distillery
defeated them 3?2 on aggregate in the
Promotion/relegation play-off
.
[10]
Stadia and locations
[
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Location of teams in the
2012?13 IFA Premiership
Location of the Belfast-based teams in the
2012?13 IFA Premiership
Club
|
Stadium
|
Location
|
Capacity
[11]
[12]
[13]
|
Ballinamallard United
|
Ferney Park
|
Ballinamallard
|
2,000 (250 seated)
|
Ballymena United
|
The Showgrounds
|
Ballymena
|
3,050 (all seated)
|
Cliftonville
|
Solitude
|
Belfast
|
2,530 (all seated)
|
Coleraine
|
The Showgrounds
|
Coleraine
|
2,496 (1,106 seated)
|
Crusaders
|
Seaview
|
Belfast
|
3,383 (all seated)
|
Donegal Celtic
|
Donegal Celtic Park
|
Belfast
|
2,330 (650 seated)
|
Dungannon Swifts
|
Stangmore Park
|
Dungannon
|
5,000 (600 seated)
|
Glenavon
|
Mourneview Park
|
Lurgan
|
4,160 (4,000 seated)
|
Glentoran
|
The Oval
|
Belfast
|
5,056 (3,991 seated)
|
Linfield
|
Windsor Park
|
Belfast
|
12,342 (all seated)
|
Lisburn Distillery
|
New Grosvenor Stadium
|
Ballyskeagh
|
7,000 (540 seated)
|
Portadown
|
Shamrock Park
|
Portadown
|
3,940 (2,740 seated)
|
League table
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Source:
rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd number of goals scored; 4th head-to-head points; 5th head-to-head goal difference
(C)
Champions;
(R)
Relegated
Notes:
Results
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Matches 1?22
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]
During matches 1?22 each team played every other team twice (home and away).
Source:
rsssf.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
|
Matches 23?33
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During matches 23?33 each team played every other team for the third time (either at home, or away).
Source:
rsssf.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:
- ^
Original 2?1 result overturned to 0?3 after Donegal Celtic fielded an ineligible player.
[14]
|
Matches 34?38
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During matches 34?38 each team played every other team in their half of the table once. As this was the fourth time that teams played each other this season, home sides in this round were chosen so that they played each other twice at home and twice away.
Section A
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]
Source:
rsssf.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
|
Section B
[
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]
Source:
rsssf.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
|
Promotion/relegation play-off
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Donegal Celtic
played
Warrenpoint Town
, the runners-up of the
2012?13 IFA Championship 1
in a two-legged tie for a place in next season's NIFL Premiership. Warrenpoint Town won the tie 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.
[6]
2?2 on aggregate. Warrenpoint Town won on away goals rule and were promoted. Donegal Celtic were relegated.
Top scorers
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References
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Domestic leagues
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Domestic cups
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All-Ireland competitions
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European competitions
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Related to
national team
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National teams
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Leagues
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Domestic cups
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Defunct leagues
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Defunct cups
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Awards
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