Leinster Senior League (association football)

Leinster Senior League

Founded	1896
Country	Ireland
Region	Leinster
Divisions	22
Level on pyramid	3–12
Domestic cup(s)	Leinster Senior Cup FAI Cup FAI Intermediate Cup FAI Junior Cup
League cup(s)	Metropolitan Cup Charlie Cahill Cup
Current champions	St. Mochta’s F.C.
Most championships	Shelbourne (12 titles)
Website	www.lsl.ie

The Leinster Senior League is an association football league organised by the Leinster Football Association. The Leinster Senior League operates 22 divisions, 12 of which are played on Saturdays, with 10 divisions played on Sundays. ^{[1] [2]} It also organises 17 different cup competitions. ^{[3] [4]} Its Senior Division is on the third level of the Republic of Ireland football league system.

Leinster Senior League teams also compete in the Leinster Senior Cup, the FAI Cup, the FAI Intermediate Cup and the FAI Junior Cup. In recent seasons the winners of the Senior Division have also qualified to play in the League of Ireland Cup. The vast majority of its member clubs are based in the Greater Dublin Area.

History

Foundation

Within a few seasons of the Leinster Football Association having been formed in 1892, the Leinster Senior League was established. Ciarán Priestley highlights a printed notice in the 4 September 2010 edition of The Irish Times . Under the headline "Leinster Football League" there is a report of "a general meeting of the league... held the other evening at 27 D'Olier Street". Priestley also lists Bohemians, Britannia, Dublin University, Leinster Nomads, Phoenix and Montpelier as participants in the first season. The Leinster Senior League website states it was established in 1896. ^[4] However other sources suggest the league started a little later and was first played for in 1897–98 and that an unidentified British Army regimental team were the inaugural winners while Shelbourne were runners up. ^{See Note 1 [5] [6]}

Modern era

The league was re-organised for the 1988–89 season, with Division 1 and Division 1A replaced by the Senior Division and Division 1 respectively. ^[7]

League pyramid

The Leinster Senior Football League (LSL) has four intermediate divisions – Senior, Senior 1, 1A and 1B – with promotion and relegation between them. Below this, the LSL also runs junior ranks – played on a Sunday for a club's first team, as well as Saturday divisions for a club's a second team. ^[8]

As of November 2024, there is no promotion or relegation system in place between the League of Ireland First Division (Level 2 of the national league system) and the intermediate provincial leagues (Level 3 of the system), which includes Leinster. ^{[9] [8]} However, Leinster junior clubs can achieve promotion up to the intermediate ranks via promotion from the highest junior league (Major Sunday) to the lowest intermediate league (Senior 1B). ^[1]

Colour-coding key
Intermediate (levels 3–6)
Junior (levels 7–12)

Pyramid Level	League(s) / division(s)
3	Leinster Senior League Senior Division 14 clubs – 3 relegations
4	Leinster Senior League Senior 1 14 clubs – 3 promotions, 3 relegations [10]
5	Leinster Senior League 1A 14 clubs – 3 promotions, 3 relegations [11]
6	Leinster Senior League 1B 14 clubs – 3 promotions, 3 relegations [12]
7	Leinster Senior League Major Sunday 12 clubs – 3 promotions, 3 relegations [13] [a]
8	Leinster Senior League Major 1 Sunday 10 clubs – 3 promotions, 2 relegations [14] [a]
9–12	Leinster Senior League Premier Amateur Football League [b] [15] Athletic Union League Carlow & District Football League Combined Counties Football League [c] [16] Drogheda Summer League Dundalk Summer League Kildare & District Football League Kilkenny & District Soccer League Leinster Football League Development League Meath & District League United Churches Football League [d] [17] Wexford Football League Wicklow & District Football League Source: [18]

Senior divisions

The senior divisions of the Leinster Senior League are played on Sundays. ^[19]

Senior Sunday

Team	Home town/suburb	Home county	Home ground
Bangor Celtic	Crumlin	County Dublin	The Transport Club
Ballymun United	Ballymun	County Dublin	Ballymun Soccer Complex
Finglas United	Finglas	County Dublin	Larney Park
Inchicore Athletic	Inchicore	County Dublin	Bernard Curtis Park
Kilbarrack United	Kilbarrack	County Dublin	Greendale Road
Killester Donnycarney F.C.	Killester & Donnycarney	County Dublin	Haddon Park
Lucan United	Lucan	County Dublin	O'Hanlon Park, Celbridge
Malahide United	Malahide	County Dublin (Fingal)	Gannon Park
St. Francis F.C.	Baldonnel	County Dublin	John Hyland Park
St. Mochta's F.C.	Porterstown & Clonsilla	County Dublin (Fingal)	Porterstown Road
Tolka Rovers	Glasnevin	County Dublin	Frank Cooke Park
UCD (res.)	Belfield	County Dublin	UCD Bowl
Usher Celtic	Dublin quays [20]	County Dublin	War Memorial Gardens
Wayside Celtic	Kilternan	County Dublin	Jackson Park

Source: ^{[21] [22]}

Senior 1

Team	Home town/suburb	Home county	Home ground
Arklow Town	Arklow	County Wicklow	Travers Insurances Park
Bluebell United	Bluebell	County Dublin	Capco Park
Crumlin United	Crumlin	County Dublin	Pearse Park
Edenderry Town	Edenderry	County Offaly	Paddy Maloney Park
Glebe North	Balbriggan	County Dublin (Fingal)	Old Market Green
Hartstown Huntstown F.C.	Hartstown & Huntstown	County Dublin (Fingal)	Hartstown Park
Home Farm	Drumcondra	County Dublin	Whitehall Stadium
Kilnamanagh A.F.C.	Kilnamanagh	County Dublin	Ned Kelly Park
Liffey Wanderers	Ringsend	County Dublin	Irishtown Stadium
Maynooth Town	Maynooth	County Kildare	NUI Astro Maynooth
Sacred Heart	Tallaght	County Dublin	Joe Maughan Park
Skerries Town	Skerries	County Dublin (Fingal)	Park Lane [23]
St. Patrick's C.Y.F.C.	Irishtown	County Dublin	Irishtown Stadium
Swords Celtic	Swords, County Dublin	Balheary Reservoir

Source: ^[24]

Senior 1A

Team	Home town/suburb	Home ground
Arklow Town	Arklow, County Wicklow	Travers Insurance Park
Ayrfield United	Donaghmede, Dublin	Ayrfield United
Castleknock Celtic	Castleknock, Dublin	Hartstown Park Astro
Drumcondra FC	Drumcondra, Dublin	Baskin Lane
Dublin Bus FC	Ronanstown	Coldcut
Inchicore Athletic	Inchicore, Dublin	Bernard Curtis Park
Larkview Boys	Kimmage, Dublin	Whelan Park
Leixlip United	Leixlip, County Kildare	Leixlip Amenities Sports Centre
Newbridge Town	Newbridge, County Kildare	Station Road, Newbridge
Portlaoise AFC	Portlaoise, County Laois	Portlaoise AFC
St. John Bosco	Drimnagh, Dublin	Brickfield Astro
St. Kevin’s Boys	Santry, Dublin	St. Aidans School Astro
Templeogue United	Templeogue	St McDaras School
Usher Celtic	Islandbridge	War Memorial Gardens

Source: ^[25] Senior 1B

Team	Home town/suburb	Home ground
Ardmore Rovers	Bray, County Wicklow	Wolfe Tone Community Centre
Ballyfermot United	Ballyfermot	Cold Cut
Drogheda Town FC	Drogheda, County Louth	Marian Park
Dublin University	Trinity College Dublin	College Park
Dunboyne AFC	Dunboyne, County Meath	Dunboyne AFC
Finglas United	Finglas	Larney Park
Hartstown Huntstown	Hartstown/Huntstown	Hartstown Park
Kilmore Celtic	Kilmore, Dublin	Oscar Traynor Centre
Leicester Celtic	Rathfarnham, Dublin	Loreto Park
Oliver Bond Celtic	Dublin 8	Grangegorman Grass
Raheny United	Raheny, Dublin	St. Anne's Park
Rush Athletic	Rush, County Dublin	St. Catherine's Park
Sheriff YC	Sheriff Street, Dublin	Clontarf All Weather Pitch
Tullamore Town	Tullamore, County Offaly	Leah Victoria Park

Source: ^[26]

Junior leagues

This is a selection of teams playing in the lower levels of the Leinster Senior League.

Team	Home town/suburb	Home ground
Beechwood	Milltown, Dublin	Royal Hospital, Donnybrook
Dundrum	Dundrum, Dublin	Meadowbrook Park
Drumcondra/Stella Maris	Drumcondra, Dublin
Glenville	Palmerstown, Dublin	Palmerstown School
Greystones A.F.C.	Greystones	Archfield
Manortown United	Perrystown	Greentrees Park
Phoenix F.C.	Scribblestown & Ashtown	Scribblestown Pitch
Pioneers	Dublin Airport	ALSAA Sports Complex
T.E.K. United	Blackrock, Dublin	Stradbrook
Terenure College A.F.C.	Terenure	Bushy Park
Transport	Crumlin, Dublin	Windmill Park

Representative team

A Leinster Senior League representative team competes in the FAI Intermediate Interprovincial Tournament against teams representing the Ulster Senior League, the Munster Senior League and Connacht. ^[27]

Notes

• ^1 This was possibly Sherwood Foresters who were the 1896-97 IFA Cup runners-up, losing to Cliftonville in the final. They were based in the Curragh, County Kildare. ^{[28] [29]}

1. Due to the frequency of club withdrawals at this level, actual number of promotions and relegations can vary greatly.
2. Features teams from Dublin
3. Features teams from the Midlands and bordering counties
4. Features teams from Dublin

References

1. Stafford, Tom (21 November 2024). "The Irish Football Pyramid – or lack of (part 4 - Leinster)" . Retrieved 16 May 2025.
2. "Competitions". LSL.ie. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
3. "Leinster Senior Football League". www.leinsterfa.ie. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
4. "Comortais Competition Management". lsl.ie. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
5. Leinster Senior League
6. Ciarán Priestley: The Bohemian Football Club: The Enduring Legacy of an Idle Youth Archived 4 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine
7. "Leinster Senior Football League | Division 1 1980-1988". Eirball.ie - Gridiron Football in Ireland Statistics Archive. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
8. "Leinster Senior League – Eirball.ie – Gridiron Football in Ireland Statistics Archive". eirball.ie. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2025. The Leinster Senior Football League has Four Intermediate Divisions – Senior, 1, 1A, 1B – with promotion and relegation between them, although there is no promotion from the Senior Division into the League of Ireland. Below this The LSFL also runs Junior ranks – played on a Sunday for Clubs' first teams, as well as Saturday Divisions for Clubs' Second Teams.
9. Stafford, Tom (21 November 2024). "The Irish Football Pyramid – or lack of (part 1 - Munster)". extratime.com. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
10. "Leinster Senior League Senior 1 Sunday". finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
11. "Leinster Senior League Senior 1A Sunday". finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
12. "Leinster Senior League: Senior 1B Sunday". finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
13. "Leinster Senior League: Major Sunday". finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
14. "Leinster Senior League: Major 1 Sunday – Soccer". www.finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
15. "Amateur Football League". www.amateurfootballleague.com. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
16. "Combined Counties Football League". ccfl.ie. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
17. "United Churches Football League". www.ucfl.ie. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
18. "Affiliated Leagues – LFA". www.leinsterfa.ie. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
19. "LSL Competitions". lsl.ie. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
20. Gallagher, Fiachra. "Usher Celtic and boss Wes Doyle aiming to sideline Bohemians in Leinster Senior Cup final". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
21. "Senior Sunday". finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
22. "LSL Senior Sunday". lsl.ie. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
23. "SKERRIES TOWN FC YOUR CLUB - LOCATION". www.skerriestownfc.yourclub.ie. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
24. "Senior 1 Sunday". finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
25. "Senior 1A Sunday". lsl.ie. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
26. "Senior 1B Sunday". lsl.ie. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
27. "League Table 2016 FAI Intermediate Interprovincial Tournament". uslfootball.com. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
28. IFA Cup, Rsssf
29. Where's My Country?, Rsssf