League of Ireland

League of Ireland

Founded	1921; 103 years ago (1921)
Country	Republic of Ireland (19 teams)
Other club(s) from	Northern Ireland (1 team)
Confederation	UEFA
Divisions	Premier Division First Division U19 Division U17 Division U15 Division U14 Division
Number of teams	20
Level on pyramid	1–2
Domestic cup(s)	FAI Cup President's Cup
League cup(s)	League of Ireland Cup
Current champions	Shamrock Rovers (21st title) (2023)
Most championships	Shamrock Rovers (21 titles)
Most appearances	Al Finucane (612)
Top goalscorer	Brendan Bradley (235)
TV partners	RTÉ Virgin Media Television LOI TV
Website	leagueofireland.ie
Current: 2024 League of Ireland

The League of Ireland (Irish: Sraith na hÉireann) is a league of professional football clubs from the Republic of Ireland plus Derry City from Northern Ireland. It is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland, along with the Football Association of Ireland. It is also the top-level football league in the Republic of Ireland since its foundation in 1921, but the term was used to refer to a single division league before the introduction of a second division in 1985.

There are currently three divisions in the League – the Premier Division, the First Division and the Women's Premier Division. The League has always worked closely with the FAI, with which it formally merged in 2006. The League is currently sponsored by SSE Airtricity, and as such is known as the SSE Airtricity League for sponsorship reasons. In 2007, it became one of the first leagues in Europe to introduce a salary cap.

The men's League is divided into the Premier Division and the First Division, with ten teams in each division, 20 in total, and promotion and relegation between the highest-placed teams in the First Division and the lowest-placed teams in the Premier Division. Underage divisions include the U19 Division, U17 Division, U15 Division, and most recently the U14 Division. Nineteen teams are located in the Republic of Ireland, while one – Derry City – is located in Northern Ireland. The League also organises two knockout cup competitions: the FAI Cup and the League of Ireland Cup.