The Football League of Ireland, usually known simply as the League of Ireland or the Eircom League (from the league's sponsorship by Irish telcom Eircom), is a league of football clubs in the Republic of Ireland. It should not be confused with the Irish League, which is the league in Northern Ireland. Eircom, formerly Telecom Éireann, is the former State telecommunications operator of Ireland – as a private company they continue to have a virtual monopoly in some telecommunications areas, its main competitor is Esat BT. They currently operate the fixed-line telephone network, act as an internet service provider (ISP) , and operate... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... The Irish Football League (IFL), or Irish League, is a league of football (soccer) clubs in Northern Ireland. ... Northern Ireland is one of four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. ...

Note, however, that the Football League of Ireland includes one club from N.Ireland, Derry City. Derry City formerly played in the Irish Football League, but was forced to leave that league following the 1972-73 season because of safety and security concerns. Derry City joined the Republic's league at the second level in 1985, after a special dispensation from the Irish Football Association (IFA) and UEFA. It won promotion in 1987, and has stayed in the top flight ever since. Derry City F.C. is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland, it is also the only club in the league from Northern Ireland. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the organising body for the sport of football (soccer) in Northern Ireland. ... UEFA logo The Union of European Football Associations, almost always referred to by the acronym UEFA (pronounced you-AY-fuh), is the administrative and controlling body for European football. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

Formed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) in 1921, the league originally contained 8 teams and was first won by St. James' Gate FC. Over the next forty years the league grew to eventually twenty-two clubs. In 1985 the league split into two divisions Premier and First Division, with 12 teams in the Premier Division and 10 in the First. Clubs are promoted and relegated between the Premier and First divisions at the end of each season. Also, the club who finishes bottom of the First must reapply for league membership. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is the organising body for the sport of Association football (soccer) in the Republic of Ireland. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the 1960s and 1970s the League of Ireland reached its height of popularity with clubs in Dublin commanding crowds of up to forty thousand however, in recent years, with the growing popularity of the national team and support for FA Premier League in England and the Scottish Premier League (many Irish football fans prefer to follow English or Scottish clubs' fortunes rather than their local clubs), attendances began to dwindle from thousands to hundreds in some cases. The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ... Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath1),is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland, located2 near the midpoint of Irelands east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin region3. ... The Scottish Premier League (SPL for short) is the top division within the current structure of Scottish association football. ...

Meanwhile the Premier Division's representatives in European competitions performed poorly with clubs from smaller European nations such as Lithuania and Iceland beating Irish oppostion easily. There were however, some highlights, Cork City's draw with Bayern Munich in front of 13,000, Derry City's entertaining Benfica and St. Patrick's Athletic narrowly going out to Glasgow Celtic. Cork City F.C. is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Bayern Munich (German: FC Bayern München) is a German football club. ... Sport Lisboa e Benfica (commonly referred to as simply SL Benfica, Benfica or Benfica Lisbon) is a football club based in Lisbon, Portugal. ... St Patricks Athletic F.C. is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Celtic Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Celtic (pronounced sel-tic) or the Bhoys, are one of the worlds most famous football clubs. ...

In the last several years a mini-reveival has occurred with clubs such as Shelbourne, Bohemians and Cork City progressing in European competition. Most recently, in 2004 Shelbourne progressed to the third round of the Champions League only going out to Spanish giants, Deportivo La Coruña. Shelbourne F.C. is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Cork City F.C. is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Champions League Logo European Champion Clubs Cup The UEFA Champions League is an annual international inter-club football competition for Europes most successful clubs. ... Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña, S.A.D. (abbreviated Depor) is a Spanish football club. ...

Until recently the league followed the pattern of the other leagues in the British Isles of starting their league campaigns towards the end of Summer and playing through the Winter until late Spring and playing no league games during the height of Summer. However, due to the league's seeming inability to compete with the FA Premier League and the Scottish Premier League, the league has switched to playing Summer football (like the Scandinavian leagues for example). The British Isles consist of Great Britain, Ireland and a number of much smaller surrounding islands. ... Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Summer, 1573. ... Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Winter, 1573. ... Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Spring, 1573. ... Scandinavia, Fennoscandia, and the Kola Peninsula. ...

Domestically, with the advent of Summer soccer both skill and attendances have improved with many clubs going professional and many former international stars returning home. However, professionalism has cost some clubs. Former greats Shamrock Rovers, now without a home ground, have for 17 years battle yearly against relegation to the lower division. However in the emergance and re-emergence of clubs such as Cork City, Shelbourne and Bohemians, to name a few, the future is bright for the Eircom Premier Division and league. Shamrock Rovers FC is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Cork City F.C. is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Bohemian F.C. (Irish: An Cumann Peile Bóithéimeach) is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ...

Clubs in Membership

Athlone Town F.C. is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Cobh Ramblers F.C. (CRFC) is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Dublin City F.C. is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Dundalk F.C. is an Irish football club from Dundalk, County Louth, that play in the Football League of Ireland. ... Galway United FC was founded as Galway Rovers in 1937. ... Kildare County F.C. is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Kilkenny City F.C. is an Irish football club playing in the Eircom League Divison 1. ... Limerick F.C. is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Monaghan Utd is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Sligo Rovers F.C. is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ...

List of Winners of the League

Shamrock Rovers FC is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Bohemian FC is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Shelbourne FC is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Dundalk FC is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Sligo Rovers F.C. is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... St Patricks Athletic F.C. is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Limerick FC is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Waterford United is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Athlone Town FC is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... Derry City FC is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland, it is also the only club in the league from Northern Ireland. ... Cork City FC is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ...

Footnotes

• Note 1: St. Patrick's Athletic were deducted fifteen points for use of an ineligible player, thus falling to the 3rd position and allowing Shelbourne to capture the title.

See also

• Football League of Ireland Cup
• FAI Cup

The FAI League Cup is a football competition open to all Football League of Ireland clubs. ... The FAI Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland. ...

External link

• Football League of Ireland Website

Association Football in Ireland
Republic of Ireland Football Association of Ireland - National Team - Football League Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... new Irish FA crest, This is a copyrighted and/or trademarked logo. ... The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is the organising body for the sport of Association football (soccer) in the Republic of Ireland. ... A database query syntax error has occurred. ...
Northern Ireland Irish Football Association - National Team - Football League Northern Ireland is one of four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. ... This is a copyrighted and/or trademarked logo. ... The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the organising body for the sport of football (soccer) in Northern Ireland. ... First International Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; February 18, 1882) Northern Ireland 0 - 2 Scotland (Belfast, Northern Ireland; February 26, 1921) Largest win Northern Ireland 7 - 0 Wales (Belfast, Northern Ireland; February 1, 1930) Worst defeat Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; February 18, 1882) England 9 - 2 Northern... The Irish Football League (IFL) is a league of football (soccer) clubs in Northern Ireland. ...