2023 League of Ireland First Division
| Season | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 17 February 2023 – 20 October 2023 |
| Champions | Galway United |
| Promoted | Galway United Waterford |
| Matches | 180 |
| Goals | 550 (3.06 per match) |
| Total attendance | 196,050[1] |
| Average attendance | 1,089 |
← 2022 2024 →
All statistics correct as of 25 November 2023. | |
The 2023 League of Ireland First Division season was the 39th season of the League of Ireland First Division, the second tier of the Republic of Ireland's association football league.
The winners (Galway United) were promoted to the 2024 League of Ireland Premier Division.[2][3] The runners-up (Waterford) were also promoted after winning the League of Ireland Premier Division play-off.
Overview
The First Division has 10 teams. Each side plays each other four times for a total of 36 matches in the season. The team that finishes in first place achieve automatic promotion to the Premier Division. Teams finishing second to fifth place will enter the play-offs to determine the side to contest for a place in the 2024 Premier Division against the ninth placed (second last) Premier Division team.[4][5]
Teams
Locations of the First Division teams
Team changes
Cork City were promoted to the 2023 Premier Division as 2022 First Division champions.[6] Finn Harps were relegated from the 2022 Premier Division.[7]
Additional teams
Newly formed Kerry F.C. successfully applied for a First Division licence to compete in the 2023 season.[8]
Stadia and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town | Athlone | Athlone Town Stadium | 5,000 |
| Bray Wanderers | Bray | Carlisle Grounds | 4,000 |
| Cobh Ramblers | Cobh | St. Colman's Park | 3,000 |
| Finn Harps | Ballybofey | Finn Park | 6,000 |
| Galway United | Galway | Eamonn Deacy Park | 5,000 |
| Kerry | Tralee | Mounthawk Park | 1,200 |
| Longford Town | Longford | Bishopsgate | 5,097 |
| Treaty United | Limerick | Markets Field | 5,000 |
| Waterford | Waterford | RSC | 5,160 |
| Wexford | Crossabeg | Ferrycarrig Park | 2,500 |
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.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town | .svg.png){kind=small} Dario Castelo |
 Aaron Connolly |
Umbro | Hayden & Co. Solicitors |
| Bray Wanderers | Ian Ryan |
Dane Massey |
Nike | VisualPrint |
| Cobh Ramblers | Shane Keegan |
John Kavanagh |
Uhlsport | McCarthy Insurance Group |
| Finn Harps | .svg.png){kind=small} Darren Murphy |
Ryan Rainey |
Joma | So-Lo Stores |
| Galway United | John Caulfield |
Conor McCormack |
O'Neill's | Comer Property Management |
| Kerry | Billy Dennehy |
Matt Keane |
New Balance | Kerry Airport |
| Longford Town | Stephen Henderson |
Shane Elworthy |
Macron | Bishopsgate |
| Treaty United | Tommy Barrett |
Jack Lynch |
Umbro | Derrin Homes |
| Waterford | Keith Long |
Eddie Nolan |
Umbro | DG FOODS LTD |
| Wexford | James Keddy |
Ethan Boyle |
Summa Sports | Campion Insurance |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford |  Danny Searle |
Sacked | 27 March 2023 | 5th | Keith Long |
29 March 2023 |
| Athlone Town | Dermot Lennon |
Mutual Consent | 15 April 2023 | 5th | Gordon Brett |
15 April 2023 |
| Athlone Town | Gordon Brett |
Change of Role | 15 May 2023 | 5th |  Emilio Williams |
19 May 2023 |
| Finn Harps | Dave Rogers |
Mutual Consent | 23 September 2023 | 9th | Darren Murphy |
27 September 2023 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galway United (C, P) | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 98 | 18 | +80 | 94 | Promotion to League of Ireland Premier Division |
| 2 | Waterford (O, P) | 36 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 84 | 32 | +52 | 69 | Qualification for League of Ireland Premier Division play-off |
| 3 | Cobh Ramblers | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 59 | |
| 4 | Wexford | 36 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 48 | 49 | −1 | 53 | |
| 5 | Athlone Town | 36 | 14 | 5 | 17 | 55 | 61 | −6 | 47 | |
| 6 | Treaty United | 36 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 49 | 61 | −12 | 44 | |
| 7 | Bray Wanderers | 36 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 48 | 62 | −14 | 44 | |
| 8 | Longford Town | 36 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 39 | 51 | −12 | 40 | |
| 9 | Finn Harps | 36 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 39 | 74 | −35 | 37 | |
| 10 | Kerry | 36 | 1 | 7 | 28 | 29 | 91 | −62 | 10 |
Source: SSE Airtricity League of Ireland First Division
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank [9] | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronan Coughlan |
Waterford | 33 |
| 2 | David Hurley |
Galway United | 21 |
| 3 |  Frantz Pierrot |
Athlone Town | 20 |
| 4 | Stephen Walsh |
Galway United | 14 |
| 5 | Aaron Dobbs |
Wexford F.C. | 13 |
| Jack Doherty |
Cobh Ramblers | ||
| 7 | Enda Curran |
Treaty United | 12 |
| 8 | Wilson Waweru |
Cobh Ramblers | 11 |
| 9 |  Valerii Dolia |
Athlone Town | 10 |
| Roland Idowu |
Waterford F.C. | ||
 Cristian Măgerușan |
Longford Town |
League of Ireland Premier Division play-off
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Waterford | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Waterford | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Athlone Town | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Waterford | 2 | Cork City | 1 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Cobh Ramblers | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Cobh Ramblers | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Wexford | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
Quarter-finals
First leg
| 24 October 2023 | Athlone Town | 1–1 | Waterford | Athlone |
| 19:45 IST | Pierrot  78' |
Report | Coughlan 52' |
Stadium: Athlone Town Stadium Attendance: 1,597 Referee: Oliver Moran |
| 24 October 2023 | Wexford | 0–1 | Cobh Ramblers | Wexford |
| 19:45 IST | Report | O'Malley  15' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Ferrycarrig Park Attendance: 1,010 Referee: Alan Patchell |
Second leg
| 28 October 2023 | Waterford | 3–1 (4–2 agg.) | Athlone Town | Waterford |
| 19:45 IST | Akachukwu 64', 78', 90+4' |
Report | Pierrot 71' (pen.) |
Stadium: RSC Attendance: 2,237 Referee: Gavin Colfer |
| 28 October 2023 | Cobh Ramblers | 1–1 (2–1 agg.) | Wexford | Cobh |
| 19:45 IST | O'Leary 75' |
Report | Crawford 35' |
Stadium: St. Colman's Park Referee: Marc Lynch |
Semi-final
| 4 November 2023 | Waterford | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Cobh Ramblers | Cork |
| 17:00 IST | Coughlan 47' Phillips 100' |
Report | McKevitt 88' |
Stadium: Turners Cross Referee: D Dunne |
Final
Attendances
| # | Club | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galway United | 2,012 |
| 2 | Waterford | 1,878 |
| 3 | Finn Harps | 1,135 |
| 4 | Cobh Ramblers | 1,003 |
| 5 | Athlone Town | 872 |
| 6 | Kerry | 782 |
| 7 | Wexford | 693 |
| 8 | Longford Town | 684 |
| 9 | Bray | 681 |
| 10 | Treaty United | 642 |
Source:[10]
See also
References
- ↑ "League of Ireland attendances up by 20 per cent as nearly 1 million attend domestic matches in 2023". The Irish Times. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ↑ "Galway confirmed as First Division champions after hitting Kerry for four". Irish Independent. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ↑ "Galway United gain promotion to the top flight in style". Irish Examiner. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ↑ "2023 League of Ireland First Division". Extra Time. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ↑ "League of Ireland Mens First Division - Overview". SSE Airtricity League. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ↑ "Cork City lift First Division title at packed Turner's Cross after win over Bray". The 42. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ↑ "Finn Harps relegated as UCD claim relegation play-off place". Irish Independent. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ↑ "Kerry FC secure licence to join League of Ireland". The 42. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ↑ "Irish Premier Division Top Scorers". finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ↑ https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/irl/aveirl23.htm