The NI Football League wish to inform all interested parties seeking promotion into the NIFL Premier Intermediate League that the deadline for application has been extended to 31 March 2021.

The extension has been agreed in light of the current restrictions placed on Intermediate football and at present the following rules apply;

a) Promotion to the NIFL Premier Intermediate League shall be determined by means of a play off between clubs that have applied for membership by 31 March, whose ground meets NIFL Championship criteria by 30th April in the year seeking promotion and that have won their respective intermediate leagues highest division (Northern Amateur Football League, Northern Ireland Intermediate League, Ballymena & Provincial League or the Mid Ulster Football League) in the year seeking promotion. The format of the play off between applicant clubs shall be decided by the IFA Football Committee.

b) Where any club believes that it will be in a position to qualify for promotion from either the Northern Amateur Football League, Northern Ireland Intermediate League, Ballymena & Provincial League or the Mid Ulster Football League to the NIFL Premier Intermediate League at the end of the current season they must apply to the NIFL Managing Director on the prescribed application form which will be available for download on the NIFL website (or on request) by 31st March along with advance payment of their league fee and meet the facilities criteria by 30th April.

c) The NIFL Board shall be entitled to take into consideration if an applicant club has procedures in place which are compliant with NIFL regulations in regard to payments to players.

d) Where there is only one such eligible applicant club, that club will replace the club finishing bottom of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League.

e) Ground sharing is permitted, but not in order to gain promotion or to avoid relegation. A ground sharing agreement in respect of the club seeking promotion registration ground must have been in place, and must be their registered ground, for at least one full season prior to making application for membership of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League and must be for a minimum of one year from the date of membership.

f) The NIFL Premier Intermediate League Management Committee must approve any existing groundshare agreement.

g) Where there is a ground share primacy of fixtures must be defined in the ground share agreement.

h) Notwithstanding the above criteria in respect of promotion the NIFL Board shall have full power to maintain a full membership of 12 teams in each Season, which may in exceptional circumstances require an alternative process.

In the event restrictions remain in place beyond 31 March 2021 and the respective intermediate leagues cannot offer the above promotion opportunity the NIFL Board may consider an alternative process.