The League of Ireland Premier Division ( irish : Príomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann ), besides known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, is the top flush division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The part was formed in 1985 following a reorganization of the League of Ireland. St Patrick ‘s Athletic and Bohemians are the alone current League of Ireland clubs never to have been relegated from the Premier Division. Since 2003, the Premier Division has operated as a summer league .
history [edit ]
1980s [edit ]
The inaugural address members of the Premier Division included the League of Ireland ‘s traditional top four clubs – Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, Bohemians and Dundalk plus eight other clubs. Shamrock Rovers were the inaugural champions and then retained the entitle in 1986–87. This saw Rovers complete a four in a row of league titles. Dundalk were champions in 1987–88 and Derry City achieved a soprano in 1988–89 by besides winning the League of Ireland Cup and the FAI Cup. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ]
1990s [edit ]
The 1990s saw the re-emergence of St Patrick ‘s Athletic following years of obscurity. During the ten St Pat ‘s won four titles. Brian Kerr guided the golf club to achiever in 1989–90 and 1995–96 before Pat Dolan and Liam Buckley added far titles in 1997–98 and 1998–99. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] The 1992–93 season saw Cork City win their foremost title in dramatic circumstances after a series of tripartite play-offs that besides involved Bohemians and Shelbourne. [ 7 ] [ 8 ]
Reading: League of Ireland Premier Division
2000s [edit ]
The turn of the hundred saw Shelbourne win the first gear of five titles in seven years. Dermot Keely guided Shelbourne to the style in 1999–2000 and 2001–02. Shelbourne won the title in controversial circumstances in 2001–02. They were only declare champions after St Patrick ‘s Athletic were deducted 15 points for fielding Charles Livingstone Mbabazi while he was ineligible. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 9 ] The league decided to become a summer league in 2003. Pat Fenlon added farther titles in 2003, 2004 and 2006. Fenlon had besides been a big member of the Shelbourne playing squads in 1999–2000 and 2001–02. As a coach Fenlon would besides guide Bohemians to title successes in 2008 and 2009. Cork City denied Shelbourne a third league claim in a row when they claimed their second title in 2005, defeating fellow challengers Derry City in a death game decider at Turners Cross. [ 10 ] During the second half of the ten a issue of Premier Division clubs suffered fiscal difficulties. During the 2005 season Shamrock Rovers entered into examinership and it was revealed that the club had debts of about €3 million. It was besides discovered that Rovers were not paying PAYE and PRSI taxes. As a leave of these fiscal irregularities, Rovers were deducted eight points. This ultimately resulted in the baseball club being relegated to the First Division after they lost the relegation/promotion playoff to Dublin City. This was the first clock time Rovers ‘ senior team had dropped out of the top level of the Republic of Ireland football league system since the club had joined the League of Ireland in 1922–23. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] During the 2006 temper the Revenue Commissioners took High Court action and threatened to have Shelbourne wound up after the club failed to pay more than €104,000 in outstanding taxes. [ 13 ] [ 14 ] Shelbourne besides struggled to pay its players during the season. Despite winning the title Shelbourne were subsequently demoted to the First Division due to their fiscal difficulties. Midway through the season Dublin City besides went out of business and withdraw from the league, ineffective to complete the season. [ 15 ] During the 2008 season both Cork City and Drogheda United were deducted ten points after going into administration. [ 16 ] [ 17 ] [ 18 ] Following the decision of the 2009 season both Derry City and Cork City were expelled from the League of Ireland. Derry City were accused of making extra payments to players using unofficial secondary contracts. This was against league rules which placed limits on the come clubs could spend on players ‘ wages. Cork City had been in serious fiscal difficulties for several seasons and its holding company was finally wound up by the high Court. however both clubs were effectively reformed and were subsequently allowed to join the 2010 First Division. [ 19 ] [ 20 ] [ 21 ] [ 22 ] [ 23 ]
2010s [edit ]
The 2010s have been one of contrasting fortunes for Premier Division clubs. Under Michael O’Neill, Shamrock Rovers finished as Premier Division champions in 2010 and 2011. In 2011 Rovers besides created history when they became the beginning team in League of Ireland history to qualify for the group stages of the UEFA Europa League. [ 24 ] In 2012 Sligo Rovers won their foremost Premier Division title and their first top horizontal surface title in thirty five years. [ 25 ] [ 26 ] St. Patrick ‘s Athletic won their fifth Premier Division in 2013. [ 27 ] Under Stephen Kenny, Dundalk emulated Shamrock Rovers, winning the title in 2014 and 2015 titles before qualifying for the group stages of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. In contrast three Premier Division clubs – Sporting Fingal, Galway United and Monaghan United – all withdrew from the League of Ireland. Sporting Fingal besides went out of business completely. [ 23 ] [ 28 ] [ 29 ]
Europe [edit ]
The top team in the Premier Division presently qualifies for the UEFA Champions League first qualifying attack. The second-placed and third gear placed-teams and winners of the FAI Cup qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League first gear qualifying round. Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk have both qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Europa League. In 2011, Rovers became the first gear team in League of Ireland history to reach the group stages and Dundalk repeated the feat in 2016 and 2020. In 2018, UEFA changed the structure of reservation for the Champions League ; giving an extra four automatic reservation spots to the top four leagues in Europe. [ 30 ] To compensate for that variety, an extra rung was added to the qualifying stages of the Champions League and the Europa League which made qualification more difficult for League of Ireland clubs. In 2021, the league will have its Europa League qualifying places revoked and replaced by Europa Conference League places as part of UEFA ‘s restructure of european football. [ 31 ] The League of Ireland Premier Division ‘s UEFA coefficient accumulates to a entire rate of 5.125 as of September 2013. between 1998 and 2010, the league ‘s home on the coefficient postpone rose 15 places, the biggest climb of any league in Europe. Its position of 29th in 2010 was besides its highest since 1986. Since June 2010, the league ‘s ranking has declined and it stood at 43rd invest at the end of the 2013/2014 season, [ 32 ] a flatten of 14 places since 2010 and the league ‘s worst ranking since 1998. In the 2000s, the Premier Division ‘s coefficient vastly improved proportional to the belated 1990s, but at a monetary value. [ 33 ] The introduction of full-time professional football by a numeral of clubs and the league ‘s decision to become a summer league in 2003, improved the performance of Premier Division clubs in Europe. Increased fitness levels resulted from both, while full-time professionalism retained irish players within the league, attracted alien players to the league and generally improved the standard of football. At least one League of Ireland club has progressed to the adjacent round of a european competition in every season from 2003 to 2014. however, the costs associated with professional football and the pastime of european achiever have been blamed for the fiscal difficulties suffered by Premier Division clubs. [ 34 ] This menstruation of improvement came to an end in 2010 with the league ‘s ranking dropping. From 29th in 2010, it dropped to 31st in 2011, 33rd in 2012, 36th in 2013 and 43rd for the 2014 rankings. The league recovered to 40th for the 2015 rankings and finished 41st in the 2016 rankings .
promotion and delegating [edit ]
A promotion and relegation system has existed between the Premier Division and the League of Ireland First Division since 1985–86. In 1992–93 a promotion/relegation play-off was besides introduced. [ 35 ] [ 36 ] The bottom team in the Premier Division is relegated, and the second-from-bottom plays the second-from-top of the First Division for the final spot in the Premier Division. [ 37 ] In 2008 Cobh Ramblers were relegated immediately from the Premier Division to the 2009 A Championship after they failed to obtain a first Division license. [ 19 ] In 2017, to even up the numbers of clubs in the Premier Division and First Division to 10 teams each, the bed three Premier League teams were relegated and only the First Division ace were promoted. [ 38 ]
2022 clubs [edit ]
list of winners by season [edit ]
Source : [ 3 ] [ 4 ]
number of winners by golf club [edit ]
Source : [ 3 ] [ 4 ]
Managers [edit ]
number of wins by coach [edit ]
The joint most successful director in the League of Ireland Premier Division earned run average is Stephen Kenny, having won the title on five occasions, once with Bohemians and four times with Dundalk 
Along with Kenny Pat Fenlon is the joint most successful director in the League of Ireland Premier Division era with five titles to his name – three with Shelbourne and doubly with Bohemians
current managers [edit ]
The Premier Division ‘s longest current predominate director is Ollie Horgan, who has remained in his position at Finn Harps since March 2014.
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top scorers [edit ]
Source : [ 39 ]
player of the year [edit ]
attendance [edit ]
trophy [edit ]
The trophy The stream League of Ireland trophy was unveiled on 31 October 2007 by the Football Association of Ireland. It stands at 91 curium ( 36 inches ) tall with a circumference of 83 curium ( 33 inches ). It is a greatest Silver trophy consisting of argent and a bulk of other metals including copper. The design of the trophy consists of a silver football at the top, which is encompassed by the cup itself. Drogheda United were the first team to receive the newly created trophy on 2 November 2007 .
The Premier Division has been sponsored since the early on 1990s. The sponsor has been able to determine the league ‘s sponsorship name. There have been three sponsors since the league ‘s formation .
- 1990’s: Bord Gáis (Bord Gáis League Premier Division) and Harp Lager
- 2000–2008: Eircom (Eircom League Premier Division)
- 2010–present: SSE Airtricity (Airtricity League Premier Division)
The league had no style sponsor in 2009, but had a number of secondary sponsors including Newstalk and Electronic Arts. equally well as sponsorship for the league itself, the Premier Division has a count of official partners and suppliers. The official ball supplier for the league is Umbro. The official drink for the league is Lucozade. The official radio and newspaper partners are Newstalk and Irish Daily Star .
See besides [edit ]
Notes [edit ]
- ^ Figures do not include results from matches played against Dublin City F.C. who withdrew halfway through the season hypertext transfer protocol : //www.researchgate.net/figure/League-of-Ireland-Premier-Division-Attendance_tbl1_286919999
- ^ Figures include results from matches played against Monaghan United who withdrew midway through the season hypertext transfer protocol : //www.researchgate.net/figure/League-of-Ireland-Premier-Division-Attendance_tbl1_286919999
- ^ One attendance digit is missing from the 2013 temper hypertext transfer protocol : //www.researchgate.net/figure/League-of-Ireland-Premier-Division-Attendance_tbl1_286919999
- ^ Four attendance figures are missing from the 2014 temper hypertext transfer protocol : //www.researchgate.net/figure/League-of-Ireland-Premier-Division-Attendance_tbl1_286919999
- ^ sum attendance figures based upon reported 9.8 % increase from the 2014 temper hypertext transfer protocol : //www.newstalk.com/sport/league-of-ireland-match-attendances-show-encouraging-rise-for-2015-627173
- ^ full attendance and average attendance figures only account for the first four weeks of the season after which no spectators were allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
References [edit ]
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