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League of Ireland
Founded1921; 103 years ago (1921)
Country Republic of Ireland (19 teams)
Other club(s) fromNorthern Ireland (1 team)
ConfederationUEFA
DivisionsPremier Division
First Division
U19 Division
U17 Division
U15 Division
U14 Division
Number of teams20
Level on pyramid1–2
Domestic cup(s)FAI Cup
President's Cup
League cup(s)League of Ireland Cup
Current championsShamrock Rovers (21st title) (2023)
Most championshipsShamrock Rovers (21 titles)
Most appearancesRepublic of Ireland Al Finucane (612)
Top goalscorerBrendan Bradley (235)
TV partnersRTÉ
Virgin Media Television
LOI TV
Websiteleagueofireland.ie
Current: 2024 League of Ireland

The League of Ireland (Irish: Sraith na hÉireann) is a league of professional football clubs from the Republic of Ireland plus Derry City from Northern Ireland. It is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland, along with the Football Association of Ireland. It is also the top-level football league in the Republic of Ireland since its foundation in 1921, but the term was used to refer to a single division league before the introduction of a second division in 1985.

There are currently three divisions in the League – the Premier Division, the First Division and the Women's Premier Division. The League has always worked closely with the FAI, with which it formally merged in 2006. The League is currently sponsored by SSE Airtricity, and as such is known as the SSE Airtricity League for sponsorship reasons. In 2007, it became one of the first leagues in Europe to introduce a salary cap.

The men's League is divided into the Premier Division and the First Division, with ten teams in each division, 20 in total, and promotion and relegation between the highest-placed teams in the First Division and the lowest-placed teams in the Premier Division. Underage divisions include the U19 Division, U17 Division, U15 Division, and most recently the U14 Division. Nineteen teams are located in the Republic of Ireland, while one – Derry City – is located in Northern Ireland. The League also organises two knockout cup competitions: the FAI Cup and the League of Ireland Cup.

History

[edit]

First level

[edit]

The League of Ireland was founded in 1921 as a single division known as the A Division. The inaugural season featured eight teams from County Dublin, all of whom had spent the 1920–21 season playing in the Leinster Senior League: Bohemians, Dublin United, Frankfort, Jacobs, Olympia, St James's Gate, Shelbourne and YMCA.[1][2] Bohemians and Shelbourne had previously played in the 1919–20 Irish League. St James's Gate were the inaugural champions, and also went on to complete a treble, having also won both the FAI Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup.[citation needed]

The League expanded to twelve teams in 1922–23. Among the new members were Shamrock Rovers, who would win the title at the first attempt, and Athlone Town, who became the first team from outside County Dublin to compete in the League. Along with Bohemians and Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers would go on to dominate the League during the 1920s and 1930s.[citation needed]

Bray Unknowns and Fordsons became the second and third teams from outside County Dublin to join the League in 1924–25, the latter also becoming the first team from Munster to play in the league. The League continued to expand both numerically and geographically during its first two decades, with Dundalk being elected in 1926–27 and subsequently becoming the first team from outside County Dublin to win the title in 1932–33. Dundalk were subsequently joined by Waterford in 1930–31, Cork Bohemians in 1932–33, Sligo Rovers in 1934–35 and Limerick in 1937–38. Sligo Rovers became only the second team from outside County Dublin to win the title in 1936–37.[1][2]

Cork United emerged as the strongest team in the League during the Emergency, winning five titles between 1940–41 and 1945–46, three of which in succession. However, they subsequently resigned from the League in 1948.[3]

The 1950s was marked by the emergence of St Patrick's Athletic and the re-emergence of Shamrock Rovers, with the former winning the title at the first attempt in 1951–52 and claiming two more in the middle of the decade, and the latter winning their first title in fifteen years in 1953–54. While Drumcondra and Dundalk won two titles each during the 1960s, Waterford were the dominant team of the decade by winning four titles, including three in succession between 1967–68 and 1969–70. Six different teams won the title during the 1970s, with Bohemians, Dundalk and Waterford each winning two titles. While Athlone Town won two titles at the start of the 1980s, the decade was marked by the four successive titles won by Shamrock Rovers between 1983–84 and 1986–87.

Following the conclusion of the 1984–85 season, the League was restructured and the A Division was replaced by the Premier Division.[1][2]

Second level

[edit]

A second division known as the B Division was introduced in 1964–65, featuring reserve teams and emerging senior teams. While there was no formal promotion and relegation to and from the A Division, a number of B Division teams, including Athlone Town, Bray Wanderers, Home Farm, Longford Town, Monaghan United and UCD, were subsequently elected to the A Division.[4][5]

The B Division was replaced as the second-level division by the First Division in 1985, featuring first teams and promotion and relegation to and from the new Premier Division.[1][6][7]

Third level

[edit]

A third division known as the A Championship was introduced in 2008, and like the former B Division featured reserve teams and emerging senior teams. However, unlike the B Division, there was promotion and relegation between the Premier Division, First Division and A Championship.[8][9]

The A Championship was disbanded following the conclusion of the 2011 season.

Youth leagues

[edit]

A number of youth leagues have also been introduced since the 2000–01 season.

  • The original youth league was an under-21 division, and later became an under-20 division before becoming an under-19 division, the winners of which are awarded the Dr Tony O'Neill Cup.[10][11]
  • An under-17 division was introduced in 2015.[12][13]
  • An under-15 division was introduced with a truncated season in 2017, before fully aligning with the League calendar in 2018.
  • An under-13 division was introduced in April 2019.[14][15][16]

Competition

[edit]

League structure

[edit]

There are 20 teams in the League, organised into two divisions: the Premier Division (formerly the A Division) and the First Division (formerly the B Division), which were renamed in 1985. There are ten teams in each division, and in a given season each team plays the other nine four times: twice at home and twice away, resulting in a total of 36 games per season.

Teams gain three points for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss. At the end of the season, the last-placed team in the Premier Division is relegated, with the winner of the First Division being promoted in their place. The second- to fourth-placed teams in the First Division compete in a playoff series, the winner of which plays the ninth-placed team in the Premier Division to determine the final place in the Premier Division for the following season.

Division Promotion and relegation
Premier Division 1 direct relegation
0 or 1 relegation via playoffs
First Division 1 direct promotion
0 or 1 promotion via playoffs

Teams

[edit]
Team Home city/suburb Stadium Capacity
Bohemians Dublin (Phibsborough) Dalymount Park 4,500
Cork City Cork Turners Cross 7,485
Derry City Derry Brandywell 3,700
Drogheda United Drogheda United Park 3,500
Dundalk Dundalk Oriel Park 4,500
St Patrick's Athletic Dublin (Inchicore) Richmond Park 5,350
Shamrock Rovers Dublin (Tallaght) Tallaght Stadium 10,716
Shelbourne Dublin (Drumcondra) Tolka Park 5,700
Sligo Rovers Sligo The Showgrounds 3,873
UCD Dublin (Belfield) UCD Bowl 3,000


Team Home city/suburb Stadium
Athlone Town Athlone Athlone Town Stadium
Bray Wanderers Bray Carlisle Grounds
Cobh Ramblers Cobh St. Colman's Park
Finn Harps Ballybofey Finn Park
Galway United Galway Eamonn Deacy Park
Kerry Tralee Mounthawk Park
Longford Town Longford Bishopsgate
Treaty United Limerick Markets Field
Waterford Waterford RSC
Wexford Crossabeg Ferrycarrig Park


Former League of Ireland clubs

[edit]

Apart from the current twenty members, at least 38 other clubs have competed in the League of Ireland at one time or another. Some of these clubs are still active, playing in intermediate and junior leagues. The list below only includes teams that played in the A Division, the Premier Division and the First Division.

Team Home town/suburb Home ground Current league
Albert Rovers Cork Flower Lodge
Bray Unknowns Bray Carlisle Grounds
Brideville The Liberties, Dublin Richmond Park
Harold's Cross Stadium
Brooklyn Merchants Quay Chalgrove Terrace
Cork Cork The Mardyke
Cork City Cork The Mardyke
Cork Alberts Cork Flower Lodge
Turners Cross
Cork Athletic Cork The Mardyke
Cork Bohemians Cork Turners Cross
Cork Hibernians Cork The Mardyke
Cork United Cork The Mardyke
Dolphin Dolphin's Barn Dolphin Park
Harold's Cross Stadium
Tolka Park
Drumcondra Drumcondra, Dublin Tolka Park Leinster Senior League
Dublin City Fingal various
Dublin United Donnybrook, Dublin Beech Hill
Anglesea Road
Evergreen United / Cork Celtic Cork Turners Cross
Fordsons Cork Ballinlough Road
Frankfort Drumcondra, Dublin Richmond Road
Home Farm Whitehall, Dublin Tolka Park Leinster Senior League
Jacobs Crumlin, Dublin Rutland Avenue
Kildare County Newbridge, County Kildare Station Road
Kilkenny City Kilkenny Buckley Park
Limerick Limerick Markets Field
Mervue United Galway Fahy's Field Galway & District League
Midland Athletic Whitehall, Dublin The Thatch
Monaghan United Monaghan Gortakeegan Dublin Women's Soccer League
Newcastlewest Newcastle West Ballygowan Park Limerick Desmond League
Olympia The Coombe, Dublin Bellevue Lodge
Pioneers Dublin Strand Hall
The Thatch
Leinster Senior League
Rathmines Athletic Rathmines Rathmines Park
Reds United Ringsend Glenmalure Park
Salthill Devon Salthill Drom Soccer Park Galway & District League
St. Francis The Liberties/Clondalkin John Hyland Park Leinster Senior League
St. James's Gate Crumlin, Dublin Iveagh Grounds Leinster Senior League
Shelbourne United Ringsend Beech Hill
Anglesea Road
Glenmalure Park
Shamrock Rovers B Tallaght Tallaght Stadium
Sporting Fingal Fingal Morton Stadium
Thurles Town Thurles Thurles Greyhound Stadium North Tipperary District League
Transport Bray/Harold's Cross Carlisle Grounds
Harold's Cross Stadium
Leinster Senior League
YMCA Sandymount YMCA Sports Grounds


Champions

[edit]

First level

[edit]

A Division

[edit]
Season Champions Runners-up Third place
1921–22 St. James's Gate (1) Bohemians Shelbourne
1922–23 Shamrock Rovers (1) Shelbourne Bohemians
1923–24 Bohemians (1) Shelbourne Jacobs
1924–25 Shamrock Rovers (2) Bohemians Shelbourne
1925–26 Shelbourne (1) Shamrock Rovers Fordsons
1926–27 Shamrock Rovers (3) Shelbourne Bohemians
1927–28 Bohemians (2) Shelbourne Shamrock Rovers
1928–29 Shelbourne (2) Bohemians Shamrock Rovers
1929–30 Bohemians (3) Shelbourne Shamrock Rovers
1930–31 Shelbourne (3) Dundalk Bohemians
1931–32 Shamrock Rovers (4) Cork Waterford
1932–33 Dundalk (1) Shamrock Rovers Shelbourne
1933–34 Bohemians (4) Cork Shamrock Rovers
1934–35 Dolphin (1) St. James's Gate Sligo Rovers
1935–36 Bohemians (5) Dolphin Cork
1936–37 Sligo Rovers (1) Dundalk Waterford
1937–38 Shamrock Rovers (5) Waterford Dundalk
1938–39 Shamrock Rovers (6) Sligo Rovers Dundalk
1939–40 St. James's Gate (2) Shamrock Rovers Sligo Rovers
1940–41 Cork United (1) Waterford Bohemians
1941–42 Cork United (2) Shamrock Rovers Shelbourne
1942–43 Cork United (3) Dundalk Drumcondra
1943–44 Shelbourne (4) Limerick Shamrock Rovers
1944–45 Cork United (4) Limerick Shamrock Rovers
1945–46 Cork United (5) Drumcondra Waterford
1946–47 Shelbourne (5) Drumcondra Shamrock Rovers
1947–48 Drumcondra (1) Dundalk Shelbourne
1948–49 Drumcondra (2) Shelbourne Dundalk
1949–50 Cork Athletic (1) Drumcondra Shelbourne
1950–51 Cork Athletic (2) Sligo Rovers Drumcondra
1951–52 St. Patrick's Athletic (1) Shelbourne Shamrock Rovers
1952–53 Shelbourne (6) Drumcondra Shamrock Rovers
1953–54 Shamrock Rovers (7) Evergreen United Drumcondra
1954–55 St. Patrick's Athletic (2) Waterford Shamrock Rovers
1955–56 St. Patrick's Athletic (3) Shamrock Rovers Waterford
1956–57 Shamrock Rovers (8) Drumcondra Sligo Rovers
1957–58 Drumcondra (3) Shamrock Rovers Evergreen United
1958–59 Shamrock Rovers (9) Evergreen United Waterford
1959–60 Limerick (1) Cork Celtic Shelbourne
1960–61 Drumcondra (4) St. Patrick's Athletic Waterford
1961–62 Shelbourne (7) Cork Celtic Shamrock Rovers
1962–63 Dundalk (2) Waterford Drumcondra
1963–64 Shamrock Rovers (10) Dundalk Limerick
1964–65 Drumcondra (5) Shamrock Rovers Bohemians
1965–66 Waterford (1) Shamrock Rovers Bohemians
1966–67 Dundalk (3) Bohemians Sligo Rovers
1967–68 Waterford (2) Dundalk Cork Celtic
1968–69 Waterford (3) Shamrock Rovers Cork Hibernians
1969–70 Waterford (4) Shamrock Rovers Cork Hibernians
1970–71 Cork Hibernians (1) Shamrock Rovers Waterford
1971–72 Waterford (5) Cork Hibernians Bohemians
1972–73 Waterford (6) Finn Harps Bohemians
1973–74 Cork Celtic (1) Bohemians Cork Hibernians
1974–75 Bohemians (6) Athlone Town Finn Harps
1975–76 Dundalk (4) Finn Harps Waterford
1976–77 Sligo Rovers (2) Bohemians Drogheda United
1977–78 Bohemians (7) Finn Harps Drogheda United
1978–79 Dundalk (5) Bohemians Drogheda United
1979–80 Limerick United (2) Dundalk Athlone Town
1980–81 Athlone Town (1) Dundalk Limerick United
1981–82 Dundalk (6) Shamrock Rovers Bohemians
1982–83 Athlone Town (2) Drogheda United Dundalk
1983–84 Shamrock Rovers (11) Bohemians Athlone Town
1984–85 Shamrock Rovers (12) Bohemians Athlone Town

Source:[1][2]

Premier Division

[edit]
Season Champions Runners-up Third place
1985-86 Shamrock Rovers (13) Galway United Dundalk
1986-87 Shamrock Rovers (14) Dundalk Bohemians
1987-88 Dundalk (7) St Patrick's Athletic Bohemians
1988-89 Derry City (1) Dundalk Limerick City
1989-90 St Patrick's Athletic (4) Derry City Dundalk
1990-91 Dundalk (8) Cork City St Patrick's Athletic
1991-92 Shelbourne (8) Derry City Cork City
1992-93 Cork City (1) Bohemians Shelbourne
1993-94 Shamrock Rovers (15) Cork City Galway United
1994-95 Dundalk (9) Derry City Shelbourne
1995-96 St Patrick's Athletic (5) Bohemians Sligo Rovers
1996-97 Derry City (2) Bohemians Shelbourne
1997-98 St Patrick's Athletic (6) Shelbourne Cork City
1998-99 St Patrick's Athletic (7) Cork City Shelbourne
1999-00 Shelbourne (9) Cork City Bohemians
2000-01 Bohemians (8) Shelbourne Cork City
2001-02 Shelbourne (10) Shamrock Rovers St Patrick's Athletic
2002-03 Bohemians (9) Shelbourne Shamrock Rovers
2003 Shelbourne (11) Bohemians Cork City
2004 Shelbourne (12) Cork City Bohemians
2005 Cork City (2) Derry City Shelbourne
2006 Shelbourne (13) Derry City Drogheda United
2007 Drogheda United (1) St Patrick's Athletic Bohemians
2008 Bohemians (10) St Patrick's Athletic Derry City
2009 Bohemians (11) Shamrock Rovers Cork City
2010 Shamrock Rovers (16) Bohemians Sligo Rovers
2011 Shamrock Rovers (17) Sligo Rovers Derry City
2012 Sligo Rovers (3) Drogheda United St Patrick's Athletic
2013 St Patrick's Athletic (8) Dundalk Sligo Rovers
2014 Dundalk (10) Cork City Sligo Rovers
2015 Dundalk (11) Cork City Shamrock Rovers
2016 Dundalk (12) Cork City Derry City
2017 Cork City (3) Dundalk Shamrock Rovers
2018 Dundalk (13) Cork City Shamrock Rovers
2019 Dundalk (14) Shamrock Rovers Bohemians
2020 Shamrock Rovers (18) Bohemians Dundalk
2021 Shamrock Rovers (19) St Patrick's Athletic Sligo Rovers
2022 Shamrock Rovers (20) Derry City Dundalk
2023 Shamrock Rovers (21) Derry City St Patrick's Athletic

Source:[1][2]

List of champions

[edit]

By number of titles

[edit]
Club First level Second level Total
Shamrock Rovers 21 1 22
Dundalk 14 2 16
Shelbourne 13 2 15
Bohemians 11 0 11
St Patrick's Athletic 8 0 8
Waterford 6 4 10
Cork United 5 0 5
Drumcondra 5 0 5
Cork City 3 2 5
Sligo Rovers 3 2 5
Limerick United 2 3 5
Athlone Town 2 2 4
Derry City 2 2 4
Cork Athletic 2 0 2
St James's Gate 2 0 2
Drogheda United 1 5 6
Cork Celtic 1 0 1
Cork Hibernians 1 0 1
Dolphin 1 0 1
Bray Wanderers 0 3 3
UCD 0 3 3
Cobh Ramblers 0 1 1
Dublin City 0 1 1
Finn Harps 0 1 1
Galway United 0 1 1
Kilkenny City 0 1 1
Longford Town 0 1 1
Wexford 0 1 1

By team

[edit]
Club Titles Seasons Runners-up Seasons
Shamrock Rovers
21
1922–23, 1924–25, 1926–27, 1931–32, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1963–64, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1993–94, 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
15
1925–26, 1932–33, 1939–40, 1941–42, 1955–56, 1957–58, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1981–82, 2009, 2019
Dundalk
14
1932–33, 1962–63, 1966–67, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1994–95, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
12
1930–31, 1936–37, 1942–43, 1947–48, 1963–64, 1967–68, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1988–89, 2013, 2017
Shelbourne
13
1925–26, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1952–53, 1961–62, 1991–92, 1999–2000, 2001-02, 2003, 2004, 2006
9
1922–23, 1923–24, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1997–98, 2001-02, 2002–03
Bohemians
11
1923–24, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1974–75, 1977–78, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2008, 2009
15
1921–22, 1924–25, 1928–29, 1966–67, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2003, 2010, 2020
St Patrick's Athletic
8
1951–52, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1989–90, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2013
5
1960–61, 1987–88, 2007, 2008, 2021
Waterford
6
1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73
4
1937–38, 1940–41, 1954–55, 1962-63
Drumcondra
5
1947–48, 1948–49, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1964–65
5
1945–46, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1956–57
Cork United
5
1940–41, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46
0
Cork City
3
1992–93, 2005, 2017
9
1990–91, 1993–94, 1998–99, 1999-2000, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
Sligo Rovers
3
1936–37, 1976–77, 2012
3
1938–39, 1950–51, 2011
Derry City
2
1988–89, 1996–97
7
1989–90, 1991–92, 1994–95, 2005, 2006, 2022, 2023
Limerick
2
1959–60, 1979–80
2
1943–44, 1944–45
St James's Gate
2
1921–22, 1939–40
1
1934–35
Athlone Town
2
1980–81, 1982–83
1
1974–75
Cork Athletic
2
1949–50, 1950–51
0
Cork Celtic
1
1973–74
4
1953–54, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1961-62
Drogheda United
1
2007
2
1982–83, 2012
Dolphin
1
1934–35
1
1935-36
Cork Hibernians
1
1970–71
1
1971-72
Finn Harps
0
3
1972-73, 1975–76, 1977–78
Cork
0
2
1931-32, 1933–34
Galway United
0
1
1985-86

By county

[edit]
County Titles Most successful club
Dublin 60 Shamrock Rovers (21)
Louth 15 Dundalk (14)
Cork 12 Cork United (5)
Waterford 6 Waterford (6)
Sligo 3 Sligo Rovers (3)
Derry 2 Derry City (2)
Limerick 2 Limerick (2)
Westmeath 2 Athlone Town (2)

By season

[edit]

For each season, the number of teams competing (in brackets) are shown.

Team 2020 2021 2022 2023 Years
Bohemians 2nd 5th 6th 6th 4
Cork City 10th 9th 2
Derry City 7th 4th 2nd 2nd 4
Drogheda United 7th 8th 7th 3
Dundalk 3rd 6th 3rd 5th 4
Finn Harps 8th 8th 10th 3
Longford Town 10th 1
Shamrock Rovers 1st 1st 1st 1st 4
Shelbourne 9th 7th 4th 3
Sligo Rovers 4th 3rd 5th 8th 4
St Patrick's Athletic 6th 2nd 4th 3rd 4
UCD 9th 10th 2
Waterford 5th 9th 2

Media coverage

[edit]

League of Ireland games are broadcast by both RTÉ and Virgin Media Television. It was announced in 2014 that RTÉ would show 78 live Premier Division and FAI Cup games as part of a new agreement with the FAI. The agreement expires in November 2018. RTÉ also broadcast a highlights show, Soccer Republic, throughout the season.[17][18][19][20] In 2015 the FAI agreed a deal with TrackChamp to stream all Premier Division and First Division games outside Ireland, but the deal was criticised by customers as the streaming service required registration for a betting platform.[21]

Attendance

[edit]

European record

[edit]

UEFA Champions League

[edit]
  1. ^ Only one match was played at a neutral venue.

1QR/2QR/3QR = First/Second/Third qualifying round; PO = Playoff

UEFA Europa League

[edit]

1QR/2QR/3QR = First/Second/Third qualifying round; PO = Playoff; Group = Group stage

UEFA Conference League

[edit]

1QR/2QR/3QR = First/Second/Third qualifying round; PO = Playoff

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "Figures do not include results from matches played against Dublin City F.C. who withdrew midway through the season". www.researchgate.net. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Figures include results from matches played against Monaghan United who withdrew midway through the season". www.researchgate.net. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. ^ "One attendance figure is missing from the 2013 season". www.researchgate.net. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Four attendance figures are missing from the 2014 season". www.researchgate.net.
  5. ^ "League of Ireland match attendances show encouraging rise for 2015". Newstalk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  6. ^ Total 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]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Graham, Alex (13 April 2024). Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005. Soccer Books Limited. ISBN 978-1-86223-135-1.
  2. ^ a b c d e "(Republic of) Ireland League Tables". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  3. ^ "The Rise of Cork United". www.corkpastandpresent.ie. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  4. ^ "'To B or not to be' Brian Quigley's thoughts on the League of Ireland B Division". leagueofireland.ie. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  5. ^ Lynch, Frank (1991). A History of Athlone Town F.C.: The First 101 Years. Athlone: Arcadia.
  6. ^ "(Republic of) Ireland League Tables – Second Level". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  7. ^ "What Happens (To) Teams That Enter The League Of Ireland First Division?". www.balls.ie. 20 February 2015. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  8. ^ Ahern, Neil (1 June 2010). "All clubs back FAI's league role". www.independent.ie. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  9. ^ "Ireland 2008". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Roll of Honour". loi19.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  11. ^ "List of Winners". foot.ie. 17 November 2009. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  12. ^ "New Under-17 league". www.wexfordpeople.ie. 19 May 2015. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  13. ^ "FAI unveil new U17 league format". extratime.ie. 16 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  14. ^ ""The future for the League of Ireland is to have academies" according to Ruud Dokter". Newtalk Off the Ball. newstalk.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  15. ^ "'Ruud Dokter must be strong and stick to the mantra 'the best, with the best, against the best". The 42. the42.ie. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  16. ^ "Vacancy: Under-15 head coach". Sligo Rovers official website. sligorovers.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  17. ^ "RTÉ and FAI announce 78-game TV deal". www.rte.ie. 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  18. ^ "Soccer Republic programme kicks off on 10 March". www.rte.ie. 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  19. ^ "eir Sport set to broadcast the Dublin Derby between Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians". www.sseairtricityleague.ie. 8 July 2016. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  20. ^ "Soccer on eir Sport". www.eirsport.ie. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  21. ^ Cooney, Gavin (25 June 2019). "Cork City and Dundalk involved in pilot of new League of Ireland streaming service". The42.ie. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  22. ^ "Cork take title with stunning display". IrishTimes.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  23. ^ "DERRY'S GAME WITH CORK BEST ATTENDED". tribune.ie. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  24. ^ "REPORT: Derry City 2 - 1 Finn Harps". Extratime.ie. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Shamrock Rovers 1 - 0 Bohemians". Extratime.ie. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  26. ^ "Shamrock Rovers 0 - St Patrick's Athletic 2". st pats fc. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Shamrock Rovers 2 - 0 St. Patrick's Athletic". Extratime.ie. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
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