Season: | 2022 |
Dates: | 18 February – 4 November 2022 |
Competition: | League of Ireland Premier Division |
Winners: | Shamrock Rovers (20th title) |
Relegated: | Finn Harps |
Continentalcup1: | Champions League |
Continentalcup2: | Europa Conference League |
Matches: | 180 |
Total Goals: | 472 |
League Topscorer: | Aidan Keena (18 goals) |
Highest Scoring: | Derry City 7–1 UCD Shelbourne 4–4 St Patrick's Athletic |
Biggest Home Win: | Derry City 7–1 UCD Shelbourne 6-0 Drogheda United |
Biggest Away Win: | St Patrick's Athletic 0–4 Derry City Drogheda United 0–4 St Patrick's Athletic |
Longest Wins: | Derry City (6 games) |
Longest Unbeaten: | Derry City (16 games) |
Longest Winless: | UCD (14 games) |
Longest Losses: | Finn Harps (4 games) UCD (4 games) Drogheda United (4 games) |
Highest Attendance: | 7,726 Shamrock Rovers 1–0 Derry City [1] |
Lowest Attendance: | 473 UCD 0–2 Derry City |
Attendance: | 486,365 |
Average Attendance: | 2,687[2] |
Prevseason: | 2021 |
Nextseason: | 2023 |
Updated: | 7 November 2022 |
The 2022 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, was the 38th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985. Shamrock Rovers were the defending champions, having won their nineteenth Premier Division title the previous season.[3] They retained the title on 24 October as a result of Derry City drawing 0-0 away to Sligo Rovers.[4] [5]
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 were Shelbourne and UCD, after respective top flight absences of one and three years.[6] They replaced Longford Town (relegated after just one year back in the top flight), and Waterford (relegated via play-off after four years back in the top flight).[7] [8]
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
3,640 | ||||
3,700 | ||||
3,500 | ||||
4,500 | ||||
6,000 | ||||
5,340 | ||||
8,000 | ||||
4,400 | ||||
3,873 | ||||
3,000 |
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 | Declan Devine | Conor Levingston | O'Neills | Des Kelly Interiors | |
Derry City | Ruaidhrí Higgins | Eoin Toal | O'Neills | Diamond Corrugated | |
Drogheda United | Kevin Doherty | Dane Massey | Umbro | Drogheda Credit Union | |
Dundalk | Stephen O'Donnell | Brian Gartland | Umbro | Bet Regal | |
Finn Harps | Ollie Horgan | David Webster | Joma | Guild Esports | |
St Patrick's Athletic | Tim Clancy | Ian Bermingham | Umbro | Manguard Plus | |
Shamrock Rovers | Stephen Bradley | Ronan Finn | Umbro | 888sport | |
Shelbourne | Damien Duff | Luke Byrne | Umbro | Hamptons Homes | |
Sligo Rovers | John Russell | David Cawley | Joma | Avant Money | |
UCD | Andrew Myler | Jack Keaney | O'Neills | Jigsaw |
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shelbourne | Ian Morris | Sacked | 30 October 2021 | Pre-season | Damien Duff | 3 November 2021 | |
Dundalk | Vinny Perth | End of contract | 30 November 2021 | Stephen O'Donnell | 11 December 2021 | ||
St Patrick's Athletic | Stephen O'Donnell | Moved to Dundalk | 2 December 2021 | Tim Clancy | 2 December 2021 | ||
Drogheda United | Tim Clancy | Moved to St Patrick's Athletic | 2 December 2021 | Kevin Doherty | 2 December 2021 | ||
Sligo Rovers | Liam Buckley | Mutual Consent | 22 May 2022 | 6th | John Russell | 22 May 2022 | |
Bohemians | Keith Long | Sacked | 30 August 2022 | 6th | Derek Pender (interim) | 30 August 2022 | |
Bohemians | Derek Pender | Permanent appointment | 14 October 2022 | 6th | Declan Devine | 14 October 2022 |
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.
Teams will play each other four times (twice at home, twice away).
Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets[11] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Alan Mannus | Shamrock Rovers | 15 |
Brian Maher | Derry City | ||
3 | Nathan Sheppard | Dundalk | 12 |
4 | Joseph Anang | St Patrick’s Athletic | 10 |
5 | Brendan Clarke | Shelbourne | 8 |
6 | Ed McGinty | Sligo Rovers | 5 |
7 | Richard Brush | Sligo Rovers | 3 |
Colin McCabe | Drogheda United | ||
Tadhg Ryan | Bohemians | ||
Lorcan Healy | UCD | ||
Sam Long | Drogheda United | ||
Mark McGinley | Finn Harps | ||
James Talbot | Bohemians |
Month | Player of the Month | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Club | |||
February | Steven Bradley | Dundalk | [12] | |
March | Aidan Keena | Sligo Rovers | [13] | |
April | Jamie McGonigle | Derry City | [14] | |
May | Daniel Kelly | Dundalk | [15] | |
June | Mark Connolly | Dundalk | [16] | |
July | Aidan Keena | Sligo Rovers | [17] | |
August | Andy Lyons | Shamrock Rovers | [18] | |
September | Phoenix Patterson | Waterford | [19] | |
October | Rory Gaffney | Shamrock Rovers | [20] | |
November | Cameron McJannet | Derry City | [21] |
Award | Winner | Club |
---|---|---|
PFAI Player of the Year | Rory Gaffney | Shamrock Rovers |
PFAI Young Player of the Year | Andy Lyons | Shamrock Rovers |
PFAI Premier Division Manager of the Year | Stephen Bradley | Shamrock Rovers |
PFAI Team of the Year | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | Brian Maher (Derry City) | ||||||||||||
Defenders | Cameron Dummigan (Derry City) | Mark Connolly (Derry City) | Joe Redmond (St Patrick's Athletic) | Andy Lyons (Shamrock Rovers) | |||||||||
Midfielders | Will Patching (Derry City) | Jack Byrne (Shamrock Rovers) | Chris Forrester (St Patrick's Athletic) | ||||||||||
Forwards | Aidan Keena (Sligo Rovers) | Rory Gaffney (Shamrock Rovers) | Sean Boyd (Shelbourne) |