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Wikipedia - Women's Premiership (Northern Ireland)
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.
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. 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. 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. Five Premiership teams will also take part in a new all-island competition during the summer.
Sponsors
| Period | Sponsor |
|---|---|
| 2016–2022 | Danske Bank |
| 2023– | Sports Direct |