The 2017 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 33rd season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began on Friday 24 February 2017 and concluded on 27 October 2017. Fixtures were announced on 9 December 2016.
| Dates | 24 February – 27 October 2017 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Cork City (3rd title) |
| Relegated | Drogheda United Finn Harps Galway United |
| Champions League | Cork City |
| Europa League | Dundalk Shamrock Rovers Derry City |
| Matches played | 198 |
| Goals scored | 549 (2.77 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Sean Maguire, Cork City 20 |
| Biggest home win | Dundalk 6–0 St Patrick's Athletic |
| Biggest away win | Drogheda United 0–6 Dundalk |
| Highest scoring | Bray Wanderers 5–3 Finn Harps Limerick 5-3 Bray Wanderers |
| Longest winning run | Cork City (12 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Cork City (22 games) |
| Longest winless run | Drogheda United (21 games) |
| Longest losing run | Drogheda United (9 games) |
| Highest attendance | 6,983[1] Cork City 1–1 Dundalk F.C. |
| Total attendance | 377,362 |
| Average attendance | 1,906[2] |
← 2016 2018 →
All statistics correct as of 4 November 2017. | |
On 17 October, Cork City won the title after a 0-0 draw at home to Derry City.[3][4]
Overview
editThe Premier Division consists of 12 teams. Each team plays each other three times for a total of 33 matches in the season.
Limerick, the 2016 First Division champion and Drogheda United, winners of the promotion/relegation playoffs, were promoted to the league, both bouncing straight back after having been relegated the previous season.
On 22 December 2016, the Football Association of Ireland announced that the league would be restructured into two 10-team divisions from the 2018 season onwards, one of the recommendations made in the 2015 Conroy Report.[5] This meant the cancellation of the promotion/relegation playoff and relegation at the end of the 2017 season of 3 teams, with only the champions of the First Division promoted in return.[5]
Teams
editStadia and locations
edit
Personnel and kits
editNote: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians |  Keith Long
|
Derek Pender
|
Hummel | Mr Green |
| Bray Wanderers | Harry Kenny
|
Conor Kenna
|
Nike | Sonas Bathrooms |
| Cork City | John Caulfield
|
John Dunleavy
|
Nike | University College Cork |
| Derry City |  Kenny Shiels
|
Gerard Doherty
|
Hummel | Diamond Corrugated |
| Drogheda United | Pete Mahon
|
Sean Thornton
|
CX+ Sport | Scotch Hall Shopping Center |
| Dundalk | Stephen Kenny
|
Stephen O'Donnell
|
CX+ Sport | Fyffes |
| Finn Harps | Ollie Horgan
|
Ciaran Coll
|
Joma | McGettigan Group |
| Galway United | Shane Keegan
|
Colm Horgan
|
Uhlsport | Comer Property Management |
| Limerick |  Neil McDonald
|
Shane Duggan
|
Hummel | |
| Shamrock Rovers | Stephen Bradley
|
Ronan Finn
|
New Balance | Pepper Asset Servicing |
| Sligo Rovers | Gerard Lyttle
|
Craig Roddan
|
Joma | Volkswagen |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Liam Buckley
|
Ian Bermingham
|
Umbro | Pieta House |
Managerial changes
edit| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limerick | Martin Russell
|
Mutual consent | 3 April 2017[7] | 8th | Neil McDonald
|
18 May 2017[8] |
| Sligo Rovers | Dave Robertson
|
5 April 2017[9] | 11th | Gerard Lyttle
|
21 April 2017[10] |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cork City (C) | 33 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 67 | 23 | +44 | 76 | Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Dundalk | 33 | 22 | 3 | 8 | 72 | 24 | +48 | 69 | Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Shamrock Rovers | 33 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 49 | 41 | +8 | 54 | |
| 4 | Derry City | 33 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 49 | 40 | +9 | 51 | |
| 5 | Bohemians | 33 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 36 | 40 | −4 | 47 | |
| 6 | Bray Wanderers | 33 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 55 | 52 | +3 | 46 | |
| 7 | Limerick | 33 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 41 | 51 | −10 | 40 | |
| 8 | St Patrick's Athletic | 33 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 45 | 52 | −7 | 39 | |
| 9 | Sligo Rovers | 33 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 33 | 44 | −11 | 39 | |
| 10 | Galway United (R) | 33 | 7 | 14 | 12 | 45 | 50 | −5 | 35 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
| 11 | Finn Harps (R) | 33 | 9 | 3 | 21 | 35 | 67 | −32 | 30 | |
| 12 | Drogheda United (R) | 33 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 22 | 65 | −43 | 22 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[11]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Results
editMatches 1–22
editTeams played each other twice (once at home, once away).
Matches 23–33
editTeams played each other once.
Top scorers
edit| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[12] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Maguire
|
Cork City | 20 |
| 2 | David McMillan
|
Dundalk | 16 |
| 3 | Dinny Corcoran
|
Bohemians | 15 |
| Gary McCabe
|
Bray Wanderers | 15 | |
| 5 |  Rodrigo Tosi
|
Limerick City | 14 |
| 6 | Ronan Murray
|
Galway United | 13 |
| 7 | Aaron Greene
|
Bray Wanderers | 12 |
| 8 | Gary Shaw
|
Shamrock Rovers | 11 |
| 9 | Patrick McEleney
|
Dundalk | 10 |
| Barry McNamee
|
Derry City | 10 | |
| Kurtis Byrne
|
Bohemians | 10 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "25% increase in attendances for League of Ireland". extra time. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "25% increase in attendances for League of Ireland". extratime. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ "Cork City finally clinch Airtricity Premier Division title with draw at damaged Turners Cross". Irish Independent. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "Draw with Derry sees Cork City clinch first Premier Division title in 12 years". The 42. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ a b Mackey, Liam (23 December 2016). "It's three down, one up for LOI season". The Irish Examiner. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "Derry City's home games in 2017 to be played in Donegal as Brandywell is redeveloped". 17 May 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Martin Russell leaves Limerick by mutual consent". RTÉ Sport. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ "Neil McDonald vows to make Limerick an 'A star club'". RTÉ Sport. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ "Sligo Rovers part company with Dave Robertson". RTÉ Sport. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ "Gerard Lyttle: Cliftonville manager resigns to take Sligo Rovers job". BBC Sport. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ "Premier Division 2017 - Season rules". Scoresway. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Member associations - Republic of Ireland - League – UEFA.com". Retrieved 8 July 2016.