2021 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 2021 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the 37th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985. Shamrock Rovers are the defending champions,[2] having won their sixth league title the previous season.
| Season | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Champions League | League Winner |
| Europa Conference League | League Runner Up League 3rd place FAI Cup Winner |
← 2020 2022 →
All statistics correct as of 1 January 2021. | |
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
The FAI met with the National League Executive Committee on 3 January 2021 and a decision was reached to move the start date for the Premier Division until at least 19 March 2021.[3]
Teams
Ten teams compete in the league – the top eight teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams are Drogheda United and Longford Town, after respective top flight absences of four and five year. They replaced Cork City (relegated after nine years in the top flight), and Shelbourne (relegated via play-off after only a year back in the top flight).[4][5]
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | Dublin (Phibsborough) | Dalymount Park | 3,640 |
| Derry City | Derry | Brandywell Stadium | 3,700 |
| Drogheda United | Drogheda | United Park | 3,500 |
| Dundalk | Dundalk | Oriel Park | 4,500 |
| Finn Harps | Ballybofey | Finn Park | 6,000 |
| Longford Town | Longford | Bishopsgate | 5,097 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Dublin (Inchicore) | Richmond Park | 5,340 |
| Shamrock Rovers | Dublin (Tallaght) | Tallaght Stadium | 8,000 |
| Sligo Rovers | Sligo | The Showgrounds | 5,500 |
| Waterford | Waterford | Regional Sports Centre | 5,500 |
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 |
Keith Buckley |
O'Neills |
Des Kelly Interiors |
| Derry City |  Declan Devine |
Eoin Toal |
 Adidas |
Diamond Corrugated |
| Drogheda United | Tim Clancy |
Jake Hyland |
 Umbro |
Scotch Hall Shopping Center |
| Dundalk |  Filippo Giovagnoli |
Brian Gartland |
Umbro |
 Bet Regal |
| Finn Harps | Ollie Horgan |
Tony McNamee |
 Joma |
KN Group |
| Longford Town | Daire Doyle |
Dean Zambra |
Macron |
Bishopsgate |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Stephen O'Donnell |
Ian Bermingham |
Umbro |
MIG Insurance Brokers |
| Shamrock Rovers | Stephen Bradley |
Ronan Finn |
Umbro |
|
| Sligo Rovers | Liam Buckley |
David Cawley |
Joma |
Avant Money[6] |
| Waterford | Kevin Sheedy |
Umbro |
||
League table
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bohemians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Derry City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to Europa Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Drogheda United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Dundalk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Finn Harps | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Longford Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | St Patrick's Athletic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Shamrock Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Sligo Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to Relegation play-offs |
| 10 | Waterford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[7]
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled but added to the full round they were played immediately afterward.
= Leader and UEFA Champions League first qualifying round; = UEFA Conference League first qualifying round; = Qualification to the Relegation play-offs; = Relegation to the League of Ireland First Division
Results
Teams will play each other twice (once at home, once away).
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
||
Clean Sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
||
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Player of the Month | References | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | ||
| March | |
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| April | |
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| May | |
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| June | |
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| July | |
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| August | |
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| September | |
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| October | |
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| November | |
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Annual awards
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| PFAI Player of the Year | |
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| PFAI Young Player of the Year | |
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| PFAI Premier Division Manager of the Year | |
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| PFAI Team of the Year | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | |||||||||||
| Defenders | |
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| Midfielders | |
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| Forwards | |
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References
- "SSE Airtricity extends title sponsorship of League of Ireland". The Irish Times. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- "Shamrock Rovers crowned champions and Cork City relegated after Finn Harps win over Bohs". The 42.ie. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- "League of Ireland season deferred until mid-March". RTÉ.ie. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- "Drogheda seal promotion as play-off places are decided". RTÉ.ie. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- "Longford earn promotion as Shels' collapse completed". RTÉ.ie. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- "New Jersey Sponsor Rename". Sligo Rovers F.C. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- "Premier Division 2021". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 February 2021.