FAI League of Ireland 2008 season
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This article documents a current sports-related event. Information may change as the event progresses. |
The 2008 FAI eircom League of Ireland season, consisting of both the FAI eircom League of Ireland Premier Division, the FAI eircom League of Ireland First Division and the newly introduced eircom League of Ireland 'A' Championship. The season will kick off in March but the 'A' Championship will not commence until June. In order to prepare for the 'A' Championship, competing clubs will be offered the opportunity to compete in a Shield competition, which will begin in March.[1]
This season is a transitional one in order to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier Division to ten and increase the amount in the First Division to twelve. As a result there is no playoffs with just the three bottom clubs in the Premier Division automatically relegated to the First Division with the First Division champions automatically promoted to the First Division.
There will be a playoff between the bottom placed side in the First Division and an 'A' Championship qualifier to determine who will participate in 2009 in the First Division.
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[edit] Pre-season developments
[edit] Managerial changes
Several FAI League of Ireland clubs changed their managers during pre-season. Alan Mathews resigned as manager of recently relegated Longford Town. The First Division club have since promoted Mathew's assistant at the club, Aaron Callaghan, to replace him as manager of the club.[2] Pat Fenlon is also back in management after his brief reign in charge of Derry City in the early stage of last season. He is now manager of Bohemians after they sacked Sean Connor.[3] Back at Derry City they have re-appointed former manager Stephen Kenny after he left the eircom league club the season before last to take over the reins of then SPL side Dunfermline Athletic. Kenny was sacked by the Scottish club this season.[4] Another manager without a job is Damien Richardson after he and Cork City reached a settlement for him to leave the club.[5] The 2007 FAI Cup winners have since appointed Alan Mathews as their new manager.[6]
[edit] Kilkenny City withdraw from League
Shortly before the league issued fixtures for the new season Kilkenny City issued a statement saying they were withdrawing from the League due to financial and inadequate support. [7] Sporting Fingal, who were due to take part in the inaugural A Championship were offered their place in the First Division. [8]
[edit] 'A' League Championship
The 'A' League Championship is a new league introduced in order to provide a link between non-league soccer in the Republic of Ireland and the eircom League. It gives clubs the opportunity to win promotion to the league for the first time. It has been decided that this championship will not kick off until June but a Shield competition, starting in March, will be put in place in order to give the 'A' League Championship participants a chance to prepare. The league will contain reserve sides of the eircom League clubs also. Last December four new clubs were accepted for entry into the championship. These clubs are Mervue United and Salthill Devon both from Galway, Tullamore Town from Co. Offaly and newly formed Dublin club Sporting Fingal who have since been elevated to the First Division.[9]
[edit] Clubs information
[edit] League
[edit] Rules
[edit] Procedure
There are twelve participating clubs in the Premiership and ten participating clubs in the First Division for 2007. During the course of the 2008 season (which will last from March to November) each Premiership club will play the respective others three times. A pre-season draw decided which clubs will have the benefit of two home games in these matches. First Division sides will play each other four times throughout the season - two games at home and two games at the stadium of the opposition. Each team in the Premiership will play 33 matches in total during the season, while those in the First Division will play 36 games. The 'A' League Championship will contain four clubs and reserve sides from Premier Division and some First Division clubs. The Championship will be divided into two sections or groups. This will not start until June with a Shield competition taking place before that. Teams will receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points will be awarded for a loss. Teams will be ranked by total points, then goal difference and then goals scored. If there is equality in points, goal difference and goals for tallies, the clubs involved must partake in a play-off to decide their finishing positions. At the end of the season, the club with the most points in their division will be crowned as champion of that division. The three lowest placed teams in the Premiership are automatically relegated into the First Division and the top team from the First Division will be automatically promoted to the Premiership. In addition, the 2007 winner of the First Division will have a once-off play-off with the winners of the FAI League Cup for a Setanta Cup place. The team that finishes last in the First Division may have to participate in a promotion/relegation playoff. This depends how the 'A' League Championship pans out. The winner of the playoff between the highest placed non-reserve sides in both 'A' League Championship groups, provided that they both finish in the top six in their respective group, will challenge the team that finishes last in the First Division for their place in a promotion/relegation playoff. If only one of the 'A' League Championship groups has a non-reserve side in the top six then this team will automatically face the club that finishes last in the First Division in a promotion/relegation playoff. If eircom League reserve sides occupy the top six positions in both 'A' League Championship sections then no promotion/relegation playoff will take place and the team that finishes last in the First Division will not be relegated.
[edit] Qualification for 2008 European competitions
The top team in the Premiership will qualify for the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round and must win three two-legged knockout ties against higher seeded and stronger opposition with progression in order to enter the group phase. The second-placed team qualifies for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round. They, similarly, must go through three two-legged knockout ties in order to enter the Second Round group phase of that competition. The third-placed team enter the Intertoto Cup. There is another UEFA Cup first qualifying round slot reserved for the winners of the domestic FAI Cup. If it were to happen that a cup-winner has already qualified for the UEFA Cup via the league, the cup-win qualification will take prominence and the league-place qualification will be transferred to the next team who finished below them in the league. This, in turn, will also cause a downward transfer of the Intertoto Cup qualification place to the next team in line. However, if the case is that the cup-winner has already won the league, that team will take a place in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, by way of its league-win, and the losing team in the FAI Cup final will take the UEFA Cup spot on offer from that competition.
[edit] Prize funds
The trend of increasing prize funds for the league has continued this season. Between the National League, FAI Cup, FAI League Cup and the Setanta Cup a prize fund in excess of €2 million will be available. The prize fund for the Premiership in 2008 has increased with the winner being awarded €250,000. Unlike last year every team will receive funds even the last placed.[10] The winner of the 'A' League Championship will be given €20,000.[11]
[edit] Season
[edit] Premier Division
[edit] Table
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Bohemians |
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St Patrick's Athletic |
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Derry City |
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Cork City |
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Drogheda United |
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Bray Wanderers |
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Sligo Rovers |
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Shamrock Rovers |
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UCD |
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Finn Harps |
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Cobh Ramblers |
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Galway United |
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P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD= Goal difference; Pts = Points
C = Champions; P = Playoffs R = Relegated;
- FAI Cup winners gain second available UEFA Cup place. This may be transferred to next best-placed team in league if Cup winners also finish in UEFA Cup qualification spot in league, while it may be given to Cup runners-up if Cup winners gain UEFA Champions League place via league.
[edit] Score-card
The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
| Bohs | Bray | Cobh | Cork | Derry | Drogs | Harps | Galway | Rovers | Sligo | St Pat's | UCD | |
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| Bohemians | - | 1-1 | 2-1 | 0-0 | 3-0 | 2-1 | 3-0 | 0-1 | ||||
| Bray Wanderers | - | 1-0 | 0-3 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 0-3 | 0-2 | |||
| Cobh Ramblers | 0-1 | - | 0-0 | 0-4 | 1-3 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 0-0 | ||||
| Cork City | 0-0 | - | 1-1 | 0-2 | 3-0 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 1-0 | ||||
| Derry City | 1-0 | 2-3 | - | 2-0 | 2-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4-1 | ||||
| Drogheda United | 3-0 | - | 1-0 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 2-2 | |||||
| Finn Harps | 2-1 | 0-2 | - | 1-1 | 0-1 | 0-3 | 1-0 | |||||
| Galway United | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 1-3 | 2-2 | - | 0-2 | 2-2 | ||||
| Shamrock Rovers | 0-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | - | 1-1 | |||||
| Sligo Rovers | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3-0 | 3-2 | - | 1-2 | ||||||
| St Patrick's Athletic | 0-1 | 1-0 | 3-2 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 3-1 | - | 0-0 | ||||
| UCD | 1-1 | 2-2 | 2-3 | 1-3 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | - |
[edit] Top goal-scorers
| Goalscorers | Goals | Team |
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 Killian Brennan |
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Bohemians |
| Dave Mooney |
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Cork City |
| Mark Quigley |
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St Patrick's Athletic |
| Mark Farren |
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Derry City |
| Keith Fahey |
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St Patrick's Athletic |
| Neale Fenn |
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Bohemians |
 Ryan Guy |
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St Patrick's Athletic |
| Patrick Kavanagh |
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Bray Wanderers |
 Fahrudin Kudozovic |
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Sligo Rovers |
 Owen Morrison |
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Derry City |
| Kevin Murray |
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Cobh Ramblers |
| George O'Callaghan |
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Cork City |
[edit] First Division
[edit] Table
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Shelbourne |
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Dundalk |
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Waterford United |
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Sporting Fingal |
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Longford Town |
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Limerick 37 |
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Monaghan United |
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Wexford Youths |
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Kildare County |
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Athlone Town |
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P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
[edit] Score-card
The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
| Athlone | Dundalk | Kildare | Limerick | Longford | Monaghan | Shelbourne | Fingal | Waterford | Wexford | |
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| Athlone Town | - | 0-3 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | |||
| Dundalk | - | 6-0 | 0-0 | 3-0 | 1-3 | 3-2 | 1-0 | 2-1 | ||
| Kildare County | 1-1 | - | 1-2 | 0-1 | 4-0 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 2-0 | ||
| Limerick 37 | 1-2 | - | 2-1 | 2-2 | 0-3 | 1-3 | 0-3 | 2-0 | ||
| Longford Town | 3-0 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | - | 3-0 | 5-1 | |||
| Monaghan United | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | - | 1-0 | 1-0 | 0-2 | ||
| Shelbourne | 2-0 | 0-0 | 5-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | - | 2-0 | 1-0 | ||
| Sporting Fingal | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | - | 3-1 | 2-0 | ||
| Waterford United | 1-1 | 3-2 | 3-1 | 1-1 | 5-0 | 2-0 | - | 1-0 | ||
| Wexford Youths | 2-0 | 0-5 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 1-2 | - |
[edit] Top goal-scorers
[edit] 'A' League Championship
Participating clubs (excluding reserve sides):
- Mervue United
- Salthill Devon F.C.
- Tullamore Town
[edit] FAI eircom National League Clubs in Europe 2008
| Team | 2007 League Position | Competition | Reason |
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| Drogheda United | 1 | UEFA Champions League (1st qual.) | League champions |
| Cork City | 4 | UEFA Cup (1st qual.) | FAI Cup winners |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 2 | UEFA Cup (1st qual.) | League runners-up |
| Bohemians | 3 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | Third in League |
[edit] UEFA Champions League
[edit] UEFA Cup
[edit] UEFA Intertoto Cup
[edit] 2008 UEFA Coefficient
The FAI National League's UEFA coefficient accumulates to a total value of 7.332 as of the 2007/08 European season.
[edit] 2008 national league UEFA ranking
Ranking going into 2008-09 European season:
- 33
Lithuania - 34
Moldova - 35 Ireland
- 36
FYR Macedonia - 37
Iceland
[edit] Off-field issues
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Website of the eircom League
- The Football Association of Ireland
- Eleven-a-side.com
- ExtraTime.ie
- Irish Football Grounds
- Foot.ie supporter forum
- FAI Rule Book
- Irish Tifo Forum
[edit] References
- ^ "Four new clubs added to League roster ", eleveanside.com, 20 December 2007. Retrieved on 2 January 2008.
- ^ "Longford confirm Callaghan appointment ", elevenaside.com, 18 December 2007. Retrieved on 2 January 2008.
- ^ "Pat Fenlon is Bohemians' manager ", bohemians.ie, 22 December 2007. Retrieved on 2 January 2008.
- ^ "Stephen Kenny confirmed as City boss ", derrycityfc.net, 28 December 2007. Retrieved on 2 January 2008.
- ^ "Cork confirm Richardson settlement ", elevenaside.com, 21 December 2007. Retrieved on 2 January 2008.
- ^ "Cork City will introduce Alan Matthews as new manager on Wednesday ", fai.ie, 15 January 2008. Retrieved on 9 February 2008.
- ^ eircom League of ireland - news
- ^ eircom League of ireland - News
- ^ "Four new clubs added to League roster ", elevenaside.com, 20 December 2007. Retrieved on 2 January 2008.
- ^ "FAI increases league funding ", ireland.com, 29 February 2008. Retrieved on 10 March 2008.
- ^ "Four new clubs added to League roster ", elevenaside.com, 20 December 2007. Retrieved on 2 January 2008.
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FAI League of Ireland seasons
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FAI Premier Division 2008
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FAI First Division 2008
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