The 2016 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 32nd season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began on 4 March 2016[6] and concluded on 28 October 2016; the relegation play-offs followed on 31 October and 4 November 2016. The prize fund for the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions was €475,500 for the 2016 season.[7]
| Season | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Dundalk (12th title) |
| Relegated | Longford Town Wexford Youths |
| Champions League | Dundalk |
| Europa League | Cork City Derry City Shamrock Rovers |
| Matches played | 198 |
| Goals scored | 511 (2.58 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Sean Maguire (18 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Cork City 6–0 Longford Town (14 March 2016)[1] |
| Biggest away win | Finn Harps 0–7 Dundalk (13 May 2016)[2] |
| Highest scoring | Wexford Youths 5–4 Galway United (14 October 2016)[3] |
| Highest attendance | 5,453[4] Cork City 1–0 Dundalk F.C. |
| Total attendance | 291,258 |
| Average attendance | 1,471[5] |
← 2015 2017 → | |
Dundalk were crowned champions for the third year in a row on 23 October after a 2–1 win against Bohemians.[8][9][10]
Overview edit
The Premier Division consisted of 12 teams. Each team played each other three times, a total of 33 matches in the season.
Wexford Youths, the 2015 First Division champion, entered the top level for the first time in their history. Finn Harps were promoted after winning the promotion/relegation playoffs.
The 12 clubs competed for €371,500 in prize money ranging from €110,000 for the winners to €17,000 for the team finishing bottom of the table.[11]
Teams edit
Personnel and kits edit
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 | Clonakilty Sausages |
| Derry City |  Kenny Shiels
|
Ryan McBride
|
Hummel | Diamond Corrugated |
| Dundalk | Stephen Kenny
|
Stephen O'Donnell
|
CX+ Sport | Fyffes |
| Finn Harps | Ollie Horgan
|
Kevin McHugh
|
Legea | McGettigan Group |
| Galway United | Tommy Dunne
|
Ryan Connolly
|
Uhlsport | Comer Property Management |
| Longford Town | Tony Cousins
|
Mark Salmon
|
Macron | City Calling |
| Shamrock Rovers | Pat Fenlon
|
Conor Kenna
|
New Balance | Pepper |
| Sligo Rovers |  Dave Robertson
|
Gavin Peers
|
Joma | Volkswagen |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Liam Buckley
|
Ger O'Brien
|
Umbro | Clune Construction Company L.P. |
| Wexford Youths | Shane Keegan
|
Graham Doyle
|
Bodibro | SBOBET |
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundalk (C) | 33 | 25 | 2 | 6 | 73 | 28 | +45 | 77 | Qualification to Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Cork City | 33 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 65 | 23 | +42 | 70 | Qualification to Europa League first qualifying round[a] |
| 3 | Derry City | 33 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 48 | 29 | +19 | 62 | |
| 4 | Shamrock Rovers | 33 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 55 | |
| 5 | Sligo Rovers | 33 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 42 | 35 | +7 | 49 | |
| 6 | Bray Wanderers | 33 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 39 | 40 | −1 | 46 | |
| 7 | St Patrick's Athletic | 33 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 45 | |
| 8 | Bohemians | 33 | 12 | 5 | 16 | 30 | 37 | −7 | 41 | |
| 9 | Galway United | 33 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 44 | 54 | −10 | 38 | |
| 10 | Finn Harps | 33 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 23 | 49 | −26 | 32 | |
| 11 | Wexford Youths (R) | 33 | 6 | 5 | 22 | 31 | 70 | −39 | 23 | Qualification to Relegation play-offs |
| 12 | Longford Town (R) | 33 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 25 | 71 | −46 | 14 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[12]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Cork City qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2016 FAI Cup. However, since they already qualified for European competition based on their league position, the spot awarded to the cup winners was passed down the league.
Results edit
Matches 1–22 edit
Teams played each other twice (once at home, once away).
Matches 23–33 edit
Teams played each other once.
Promotion/relegation playoffs edit
Wexford Youths, the eleventh-placed team from the Premier Division took part in a two-legged play-off against Drogheda United, the winners of the 2016 First Division play-off, to decide who will play in the 2017 Premier Division.
First leg edit
| 31 October 2016 | Wexford Youths | 2–0 | Drogheda United | Crossabeg |
| 19:45 GMT | Report | Stadium: Ferrycarrig Park Attendance: 616 Referee: Raymond Matthews |
Second leg edit
| 4 November 2016 | Drogheda United | 3–0 (3–2 agg.) | Wexford Youths | Drogheda |
| 19:45 GMT | Report | Stadium: United Park Referee: Graham Kelly |
Drogheda United are promoted to the 2017 Premier Division; Wexford Youths are relegated to the 2017 First Division.
Top scorers edit
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[13] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Maguire
|
Cork City | 18 |
| 2 | Rory Patterson
|
Derry City | 17 |
| 3 | David McMillan
|
Dundalk | 16 |
| 4 | Vincent Faherty
|
Galway United | 12 |
| 5 | Conan Byrne
|
St Patrick's Athletic | 11 |
| 6 | Raffaele Cretaro
|
Sligo Rovers | 10 |
| Kurtis Byrne
|
Bohemians | 10 | |
| Christy Fagan
|
St Patrick's Athletic | 10 | |
| Gary McCabe
|
Shamrock Rovers | 10 | |
| 10 | Daryl Horgan
|
Dundalk | 9 |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "CORK CITY VS. LONGFORD TOWN 6 - 0". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ "FINN HARPS VS. DUNDALK 0 - 7". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ "WEXFORD YOUTHS VS. GALWAY UNITED 5 - 4". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ "League of Ireland Attendances 2016 - The Final Story (Updated)". extra time. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "League of Ireland Attendances 2016 - The Final Story (Updated)". extratime. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ "2016 season to kick-off on March 4". SSE Airtricity League. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ "Breakdown of 2016 SSE Airtricity League Prize-Money". SSE Airtricity League. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- ^ "Three-in-a-row for Dundalk as Kenny's men wrap up Premier Division title". The 42. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Dundalk are crowned the Airtricity League Premier Division champions for the third time in a row". Irish Independent. 23 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Dundalk crowned champions after beating Bohemians". RTÉ Sport. 23 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Breakdown of 2016 SSE Airtricity League Prize-Money". SSE Airtricity League. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- ^ "PREMIER DIVISION 2016 - Season rules". Scoresway. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Member associations - Republic of Ireland - League – UEFA.com". Retrieved 8 July 2016.