Northern Ireland Football League celebrates landmark year of growth, innovation and impact
8th Jun 2026
The Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) can today unveil headline highlights from the latest Annual Report, showcasing a year of record-breaking growth, increased engagement, and major milestones across digital, commercial, sporting and community activity.
Digital & Social performance reached new heights, with NIFL’s online footprint surging across all platforms.
The League now boasts more than 204,000 social media followers, a rise of 31.6%, while video views exceeded 150 million, up an incredible 50% year-on-year. Fan engagement also soared, while NIFL TV surpassed 15,000 sign-ups since launch.
On the commercial front, NIFL welcomed five new partners – Coca-Cola, BOYLESports, Diageo, InPost and SmartPayNI – contributing to a 70% increase in commercial growth over the past 12 months. Crucially, this success translated directly to the game, with prize money to clubs rising by 36.8%.
On the pitch, a total of 1,544 matches were played across all competitions, including Men’s, Women’s and Development & Academy fixtures.
Innovation also took a major step forward, with the BetMcLean Cup Final marking the first-ever use of VAR in the professional game in Northern Ireland.
The 2025 Women’s season delivered historic moments. A thrilling title decider between Glentoran and Cliftonville attracted a Women’s Premiership record, while attendances are up 58% since 2021. The Women’s League Cup Final also drew the highest ever attendance for a NIFL women’s fixture.
Beyond football, NIFL continued to make a positive community impact, with the #NotInOurGame campaign raising funds for Women’s Aid, uniting the football family in standing against violence toward women and girls.
The year was capped by a vibrant calendar of events, including the 2026 NIFL Awards, the inaugural NIFL Women’s Awards, the Women in Football event at Stormont, the first WIF Leadership Course held in Belfast and the NIFL Clubs Showcase at Parliament Buildings.
Together, these achievements underline a transformative year for NIFL – one defined by growth, progress and an exciting future for football across Northern Ireland.
View the full report here
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