2017 League of Ireland Premier Division
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| Season | 2017 |
|---|---|
| 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 | 198 |
| Goals | 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 |
| Total attendance | 377,362 |
| Average attendance | 1,906[2] |
← 2016 2018 →
All statistics correct as of 4 November 2017. | |
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. Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier Division from 12 to 10, starting from the following season, three clubs were to be relegated.[3]
On 17 October, Cork City won the title after a 0-0 draw at home to Derry City.[4][5]
The 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.[3] 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.[3]
Teams
Stadia and locations
Personnel and kits
Note: 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
| 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
| 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
Matches 1–22
Teams played each other twice (once at home, once away).
Matches 23–33
Teams played each other once.
Top scorers
| 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 |
Attendances
| No. | Club | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cork City | 4,562 |
| 2 | Shamrock Rovers | 2,815 |
| 3 | Dundalk | 2,707 |
| 4 | Bohemian | 1,962 |
| 5 | Sligo Rovers | 1,717 |
| 6 | Limerick | 1,607 |
| 7 | St. Patrick's Athletic | 1,531 |
| 8 | Derry City | 1,393 |
| 9 | Galway United | 1,366 |
| 10 | Finn Harps | 1,312 |
| 11 | Bray Wanderers | 966 |
| 12 | Drogheda United | 813 |
Source:[13]