2018 League of Ireland Premier Division


The 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 34th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began on 16 February 2018 and concluded on 26 October 2018. Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier Division from 12 to 10, the promotion/relegation playoff was cancelled and only one club, Waterford F.C., was promoted.
On 5 October, Dundalk won the title after a 1–1 draw with St Patrick's Athletic.

Overview

The Premier Division consists of 10 teams. Each team plays each other four times for a total of 36 matches in the season.
Waterford, the 2017 First Division champion, were promoted to the league for the first time since 2007.
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.

Teams

Stadia and locations

TeamLocationStadium
BohemiansPhibsboroughDalymount Park
Bray WanderersBrayCarlisle Grounds
Cork CityCorkTurners Cross
Derry CityDerryThe Brandywell
DundalkDundalkOriel Park
LimerickLimerickMarkets Field
St Patrick's AthleticInchicoreRichmond Park
Shamrock RoversTallaghtTallaght Stadium
Sligo RoversSligoThe Showgrounds
WaterfordWaterfordRSC

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.
TeamManagerCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
Bohemians

Results

Matches 1–18

Teams played each other twice.

Matches 19–36

Teams will play each other twice.

Promotion/relegation playoff

Limerick, the ninth-placed team from the Premier Division took part in a two-legged play-off against Finn Harps, the winners of the 2018 First Division play-off, to decide who will play in the 2019 Premier Division.
''Finn Harps won 3–0 on aggregate and were promoted to 2019 Premier Division. Limerick were relegated to the 2019 First Division.''

Season statistics

Scoring

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef
sortname|Dinny|Corcoran

Discipline

Club

  • Most yellow cards: 94
  • *Sligo Rovers
  • Most red cards: 7
  • *Waterford

Attendances

No.ClubAverage
1Cork City4,086
2Dundalk2,801
3Shamrock Rovers2,758
4Waterford United2,314
5Bohemian2,143
6Derry City2,061
7Sligo Rovers1,800
8St. Patrick's Athletic1,733
9Limerick998
10Bray Wanderers694

Source: