Football Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Football Wiki
League of Ireland Premier League
League of Ireland Premier League
Country Flag of Republic Ireland Republic of Ireland (9 teams)
Flag of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland (1 team)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Founded 1985
Number of teams 12
Relegation to League of Ireland First Division
Level on pyramid 1
Domestic cup(s) FAI Cup, League of Ireland Cup
UEFA (Europe) cup(s) UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League
Current champions Shamrock Rovers (2020)
Most successful club Dundalk F.C. (6)
Shelbourne (6)
TV RTÉ2
Eir Sport
Premier Sports
Website Official website
Football current event 2021

The League of Ireland Premier Division is the top level division in the Republic of Ireland football league system. Contested by 12 clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the League of Ireland First Division. Seasons run from March to October, with teams playing 33 matches. Most games are played on Fridays, with a few games held on Saturdays and Sundays. Since 2010 the league is sponsored by SSE Airtricity and therefore officially known as the Airtricity League.

The division was formed as the League of Ireland Premier Division in 1985 as a result of the decision to split the League of Ireland into two divisions, which also created the League of Ireland First Division. The league is ranked 36th in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five years, ahead of Lithuania's A Lyga and behind Moldova's National Division. In 2009, the FAI rejected proposals from clubs to remove the first division and restore the League of Ireland to its original structure.

Since 1921, a total of 19 clubs have been crowned champions of the Irish football league system. The current champions are Dundalk F.C., who won the title in the 2015 League of Ireland season.

Clubs 2019[]

Team Location Stadium
Bohemians Dublin (Phibsborough) Dalymount Park
Cork City Cork Turners Cross
Derry City Derry Brandywell Stadium
Dundalk Dundalk Oriel Park
Finn Harps Ballybofey Finn Park
Shamrock Rovers Dublin (Tallaght) Tallaght Stadium
Sligo Rovers Sligo The Showgrounds
St Patrick's Athletic Dublin (Inchicore) Richmond Park
UCD Dublin (Belfield) UCD Bowl
Waterford Waterford Regional Sports Centre

Sponsorship[]

The Premier Division has been sponsored since the early 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)
  • 2000–2008: Eircom (Eircom League Premier Division)
  • 2010–present: SSE Airtricity (Airtricity League Premier Division)

The league had no title sponsor in 2009, but had a number of secondary sponsors including Newstalk and Electronic Arts. As well as sponsorship for the league itself, the Premier Division has a number 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.

External links[]

2021 League of Ireland Premier Division

Bohemians · Derry City · Drogheda United · Dundalk · Finn Harps · Longford Town · Shamrock Rovers · Sligo Rovers · St Patrick's Athletic · Waterford

League of Ireland Premier Division seasons

2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 ·

Football in the Republic of Ireland
League competitions The FAI Cup competitions
League of Ireland Republic of Ireland FAI Cup
Premier Division (B) (U-21) League of Ireland Cup
First Division List of clubs Setanta Sports Cup
A Championship List of stadiums A Championship Cup
List of leagues
Top level football leagues of Europe (UEFA)

Albania · Andorra · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · England · Estonia · Faroe Islands · Finland · France · Georgia · Germany · Gibraltar · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Israel · Italy · Kazakhstan · Kosovo · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Moldova · Montenegro · Netherlands · North Macedonia · Northern Ireland · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Republic of Ireland · Romania · Russia · San Marino · Scotland · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey · Ukraine · Wales

Advertisement