Republic of Ireland football league system

Last updated

The Republic of Ireland football league system currently consists of 12 levels. Traditionally association football leagues in the Republic of Ireland have been classified as either senior, intermediate or junior. These leagues are effectively national, provincial and district leagues respectively. The two highest level leagues/divisions, the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland First Division are both national leagues. Together they make up the League of Ireland. The third level currently consists of three provincial leagues – the Leinster Senior League Senior Division, the Munster Senior League Senior Premier Division and the Ulster Senior League Senior Division.

Contents

History

Senior

The original top-level league for what is now the Republic of Ireland was the Irish Football League. Founded in 1890, this league is now the Northern Ireland Football League. Before the partition of Ireland, three Dublin clubs – Bohemians, Shelbourne and Tritonville – played in the Irish Football League. [1] The League of Ireland was founded in 1921 and its Premier Division is now the top level division. [2]

Intermediate

The two oldest association football leagues in what is now the Republic of Ireland are the Leinster Senior League and the Munster Senior League. The former was founded in 1896 [3] while the latter first appeared in the early 1900s. The Leinster Senior League's jurisdiction included the Greater Dublin Area, the most populated region in the country, and as a result it was effectively a de facto second-level league between 1896–97 and 1964–65. In 1964 the League of Ireland formed the first formal national second level division, the League of Ireland B Division. [4] In 1985, following a reorganisation, the B Division was replaced as the second-level league by the League of Ireland First Division. As part of this reorganisation, a promotion and relegation system involving the top two national divisions was introduced for the first time. [5]

Junior

From 1964–65 until 2008 the Leinster Senior League and the Munster Senior League formed the third level. They were subsequently joined at this level by the Connacht Senior League in 1981 and the Ulster Senior League in 1986. Between 2008 and 2011, the provincial leagues were briefly replaced as the third level by a short lived national third level league known as the A Championship. Following the demise of the A Championship, the provincial leagues regained their third level status. Both the Connacht and Ulster leagues were subsequently wound up.[ citation needed ]

Cup eligibility

Being members of a league at a particular level also affects eligibility for Cup, or single-elimination, competitions.

Below level 6 the pyramid becomes regional and the cups become accordingly regional. Further down the pyramid is split on a county basis, counties having their own cups accordingly. This excludes some tournaments marked "Senior Cups", which often are competitions between teams representing top professional clubs in a given district.

Promotion and relegation

A promotion and relegation system has existed between the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland First Division since 1985–86. Between 2008 and 2011, A Championship teams were also eligible for promotion to the First Division. Promotion and relegation systems also operate within the separate provincial league systems. There is no formal promotion and relegation relationship between the provincial leagues and the League of Ireland. Teams have been invited to join the League of Ireland however. In 2015, Cabinteely of the Leinster Senior League became the most recent team to accept an invite. In 2022, it was revealed that a third tier in the League of Ireland would be launched in 2023, but although not formally announced by the FAI, the third tier got postponed until 2024, due to lack of interest from clubs in the country.

The system

Level one in the pyramid, the top division of Irish football, is run by the League of Ireland Premier Division (which gives its name to the competition in that division), the winners of which are regarded as the champions of the Republic of Ireland. Level two is run by the League of Ireland. Together, these two divisions make up what is known as "league football".

The leagues below level two are classed as "non-League football", meaning they are outside the League of Ireland. The leagues at levels three to six comprise the Provincial League System, and are run by the Provinces. The top level (level 3) of the Provincial leagues is known as the Senior Leagues and the winners of which are regarded as the champions of their respective Province. Levels seven to twelve are designed as "Regional Feeder Leagues" or District Leagues.

There is currently no promotion or relegation system between the League of Ireland First Division (Level 2) and the provincial leagues (Level 3) in place. Therefore, there is no movement between the football league and non-league football and the only way non-league club can enter the football league is if they are elected.

Level

Total clubsLeague(s) / division(s)

1

10 League of Ireland Premier Division
10 clubs – 1 or 2 relegations

2

10 League of Ireland First Division
10 clubs – 1 or 2 promotions

3

28 Connacht Senior League

0 clubs – Defunct

 Munster Senior League Senior Premier Division

10 clubs – 2 relegations

 Leinster Senior League Senior Division

14 clubs – 3 relegations

 Ulster Senior League Senior Division

0 clubs – Defunct

4

23 Munster Senior League Senior First Division

10 clubs – 2 promotions

 Leinster Senior League Senior 1

13 clubs – 3 promotions

5

29 Munster Senior League Senior Second Division

15 clubs

 Leinster Senior League 1A

14 clubs

6

14 Leinster Senior League 1B

14 clubs

7

TBD Galway & District League Premier Division – 10 clubs Mayo Super League – 10 clubsRoscommon & District Premier Division– 10 clubsSligo and Leitrim Super League– 13 clubs Munster Senior League Junior Premier Division– 10 clubsClare District Soccer League Premier Division– 9 clubs Cork Athletic Union League Premier League– 8 clubsCork Business League Premier Division– 11 clubs

Source: [6]

West Cork League Premier Division Kerry District League Premier A– 8 clubs, 2r Limerick Desmond League Premier Division – 10 clubs Limerick & District League Premier League– 8 clubsNorth Tipperary & District Soccer League Premier Division– 8 clubsTipperary Southern & District Premier League– 9 clubsWaterford & District Junior LeagueWest Waterford East Cork Junior League Leinster Senior League Major Combined Counties Football League [note 1] [7] Amateur Football League [note 2] [8] Athletic Union League Leinster Football League Development LeagueUnited Churches Football League [note 3] [9] North East Football LeagueKildare & District Football LeagueDrogheda Summer LeagueDundalk Summer LeagueCarlow & District Football League Wicklow & District Football League

Source: [10]

Kilkenny & District Soccer LeagueWexford Football League Inishowen Football League Donegal Junior LeagueMonaghan Cavan Senior League
8TBD Galway & District League Championship– 12 clubs Mayo Premier League – 9 clubsRoscommon & District Division One– 9 clubsSligo and Leitrim Premier League– 13 clubs Munster Senior League Junior First Division– 10 clubsClare District Soccer League First Division– 10 clubs Cork Athletic Union League Premier A League– 8 clubsCork Business League First Division– 5 clubs West Cork League Division One Kerry District League Premier B– 8 clubs, 2p, 2r Limerick Desmond League Division One– 8 clubs Limerick & District League Premier A League– 12 clubsNorth Tipperary & District Soccer League First Division– 8 clubsTipperary Southern & District Division One– 7 clubs
9TBD Galway & District League Division 1– 10 clubs Mayo League One – 8 clubsRoscommon & District Division Two– 12 clubs Munster Senior League Junior Second Division– 10 clubsClare District Soccer League Second Division– 9 clubs Cork Athletic Union League League 1– 7 clubs West Cork League Division Two Kerry District League Division 1A– 8 clubs, 2p, 2r Limerick Desmond League Division Two– 6 clubs Limerick & District League Division 1A– 11 clubsNorth Tipperary & District Soccer League Second Division– 9 clubsTipperary Southern & District Division Two– 8 clubs
10TBD Galway & District League Division 2– 10 clubs Mayo League Two – 10 clubsClare District Soccer League Third Division– 7 clubs Cork Athletic Union League League 2– 10 clubs Kerry District League Division 1B– 8 clubs, 2p, 2r Limerick Desmond League Division Three– 7 clubs Limerick & District League Division 1B– 10 clubsTipperary Southern & District Division Three– 10 clubs
11TBD Galway & District League Division 3– TBD clubs Cork Athletic Union League League 3– 13 clubs Kerry District League Division 2A– 7 clubs, 2p, 2r Limerick & District League Division 2A– 10 clubs
12TBD Galway & District League Division 4– TBD clubs Kerry District League Division 2B– 8 clubs, 2p, 2r Limerick & District League Division 2B– 9 clubs
13TBD Kerry District League Division 3A– 9 clubs, 2p, 2r Limerick & District League Division 3A– 8 clubs
14TBD Limerick & District League Division 3B– 12 clubs

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Features teams from the Midlands and bordering counties
  2. ↑ Features teams from Dublin
  3. ↑ Features teams from Dublin

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monaghan United F.C.</span> Football club

Monaghan United F.C. is an Irish association football club based in Monaghan currently playing in the Ulster Senior League. The club joined the League of Ireland in 1983 and subsequently went on to play in the B Division, the First Division and the Premier Division. They resigned from the league midway through the 2012 season. The club continued to field a women's team in the Dublin Women's Soccer League and, together with the Cavan Monaghan Underage League, they entered a combined team in the League of Ireland U13 Division, League of Ireland U15, U17 and the U19 League of Ireland Divisions, until 2020, whereupon the partnership was ended, the CMUL continued to field a team in the national underage leagues. In 2019 the club entered a senior team into the Monaghan Cavan League, and in 2021, the club joined the Ulster Senior League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Ireland</span> Third most popular form of football in Ireland, organised on an all-island basis

Rugby union is a popular team sport on the island of Ireland, organised on an all-Ireland basis, including players and teams from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Its governing body, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), was founded in 1879, making it the third oldest rugby union in the world after the RFU (England) and the SRU (Scotland).

Cherry Orchard Football Club is an Irish association football club based in the Cherry Orchard area of Ballyfermot, Dublin. Their senior team plays in the Leinster Senior League. They have also competed in the FAI Cup, the FAI Intermediate Cup, the FAI Junior Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup. The club also has reserve teams playing in the Leinster Senior League and enter teams in the Dublin & District Schoolboy League. The club's youth system has produced dozens of players who have gone onto play for clubs throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. In addition, several have also gone on to represent the Republic of Ireland at various international levels.

Brendan Clarke is an Irish football player who plays for Galway United in the League of Ireland First Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">League of Ireland</span> Football league

The League of Ireland 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.

The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division was formed in 1985 as it replaced the League of Ireland B Division as the League of Ireland's second level division. Since 2003 the First Division has operated as a summer league. The division is contested by 10 clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association football in the Republic of Ireland</span> Overview of association football practised in the Republic of Ireland

Association football commonly referred to as football or soccer, is the team sport with the second highest level of participation in the Republic of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leinster Senior League (association football)</span> Football league

The Leinster Senior League is an association football league organised by the Leinster Football Association. In 2015–16 the Leinster Senior League operated twenty divisions. It also organises various cup competitions. Its Senior Division is a third level division in 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conan Byrne</span> Irish footballer

Conan Byrne is a retired Irish footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster Senior League (association football)</span> Football league

The Ulster Senior League was an association football league featuring amateur, intermediate, and League of Ireland reserve teams. Together with the Leinster Senior League Senior Division and the Munster Senior League Senior Premier Division, it forms the third level of the Republic of Ireland football league system. Ulster Senior League teams also compete in the FAI Cup and the FAI Intermediate Cup. The winners of the Ulster Senior League have also been invited to play in the now defunct League of Ireland Cup. Despite using the Ulster name in its title, almost all of its clubs are based in County Donegal and the City of Derry. The most successful club in the league has been Fanad United who have won fourteen league titles and ten league cups. Since 2006 the USL operated as a summer league with the season typically operating from April to October. In 2023, there were five teams competing in the league.

The Munster Senior League is an association football league organised by the Munster Football Association. It organises seven divisions as well as various cup competitions. Its Senior Division is a third level division in the Republic of Ireland football league system. Munster Senior League teams also compete in the Munster Senior Cup, the FAI Cup, the FAI Intermediate Cup and the FAI Junior Cup. In recent seasons the winners of the Senior Division have qualified to play in the League of Ireland Cup. Despite using the Munster name in its title, the vast majority of its member clubs are based in County Cork. However, in the past it has included clubs from County Limerick, County Waterford, County Kerry and County Tipperary.

The Connacht Senior League was an association football league featuring amateur, intermediate, and League of Ireland reserve teams affiliated to the Connacht Football Association. It was a third level league in the Republic of Ireland football league system. An earlier provincial league, the Western League, had been active, on and off, since the 1930s before the Connacht Football Association decided to establish a more permanent league. The CSL was active between 1981 and 2000. In 2013 discussions were held about relaunching the league.

The Leinster Senior League Senior Division is the top division of the Leinster Senior League. It is organized by the Leinster Football Association. Together with the Munster Senior League Senior Premier Division and the Ulster Senior League Senior Division, it forms the third level of the Republic of Ireland football league system. Formed in 1896, it is the oldest association football league in what is now the Republic of Ireland. Shelbourne have won the most titles. However, in more recent seasons Crumlin United, Cherry Orchard, Wayside Celtic and Bangor Celtic have been the divisions strongest teams. In 2014–15 Bluebell United were Leinster Senior League champions, 27 years after winning their previous title. Clubs from this division play 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 been invited to play in the League of Ireland Cup.

Conor McCormack is a professional footballer currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division with Galway United.

The Munster Senior League Senior Premier Division is the top division of the Munster Senior League. It is organized by the Munster Football Association. Together with the Leinster Senior League Senior Division, it forms the third level of the Republic of Ireland football league system. Clubs from this division play in the Munster Senior Cup, the FAI Cup, and the FAI Intermediate Cup. In recent seasons the winners of the Senior Division have also been invited to play in the League of Ireland Cup. Avondale United and UCC represented the division in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

The Athletic Union League is an association football league featuring junior and amateur teams mainly from Northside, Dublin. The AUL currently operates thirteen divisions. Its senior division is known as the Premier A. Teams from the AUL also compete in the FAI Cup, the FAI Junior Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup. The AUL headquarters are at the AUL Complex at Clonshaugh/Swords, Dublin. The AUL is affiliated to both the Football Association of Ireland and the Leinster Football Association.

Alex O'Hanlon is an Irish professional footballer who plays for St Mochta's in the Leinster Senior League. He has previously played for Liverpool, St Patrick's Athletic, Glentoran, Shelbourne & Wexford.

The 2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 135th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887.

The 2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 136th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. Thirty one of the thirty two Irish counties took part – Kilkenny did not compete, while London and New York completed the lineup.

References

  1. ↑ "Northern Ireland – Final League Tables 1890–1998". RSSSF . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Republic of Ireland League Tables". RSSSF . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Welcome to the Leinster Senior Football League". lsl.ie. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Lynch, Frank (1991). A History of Athlone Town F.C: The First 101 Years. Athlone: Arcadia.
  5. ↑ Graham, Alex. Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005. Soccer Books Limited. ISBN   1-86223-135-4.
  6. ↑ "Details of Affiliated Leagues & Clubs 2015/2016". www.munsterfa.com. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "Combined Counties Football League". ccfl.ie. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Amateur Football League". www.amateurfootballleague.com. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "United Churches Football League". www.ucfl.ie. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Affiliated Leagues – LFA". www.leinsterfa.ie. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.