FAI Premier Division
The League of Ireland Premier Division (Irish: PrĂomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann) is the top tier of the Republic of Ireland's national football league, the League of Ireland. Contested by 12 clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the First Division. Seasons run from March to December, with teams playing 33 matches. Most games are played on Fridays, with a few games held on Saturdays and Sundays. It was known as the Eircom Premier League from 2000 to 2008. It is currently sponsored by Airtricity and therefore officially known as the Airtricity Premier League.
The division was formed as the League of Ireland Premier Division in 1985 as a result of the decision to split the League of Ireland into two divisions, which also created the League of Ireland First Division. The league is ranked thirty-first in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five years, ahead of Lithuania's A Lyga and behind Bosnia and Herzegovina's Premier League. In 2009, the FAI rejected proposals from clubs to remove the division and restore the League of Ireland to its original structure.
Since 1921, a total of 19 clubs have been crowned champions of the Irish football league system. The current champions are Sligo Rovers, who won the title in the 2012 League of Ireland season.
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Famous quotes containing the word division:
“Between married persons, the cement of friendship is by the laws supposed so strong as to abolish all division of possessions: and has often, in reality, the force ascribed to it.
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—David Hume (1711–1776)