2018 Format Confirmed

[Mr A]

http://sseairtricityleague.ie/news/2018-sse-airtricity-league-format-confirmed/id-1183

4 rounds in premier, 3 in first. First division starts a week later.

[nigel-harps1954]

Not too much to complain about there from a First Division perspective. Grand job. Looking forward to the fixtures. Knowing our luck we'll end up away in Cobh and Wexford twice..

[legendz]

As expected really. 36 games in the Premier and 27 in the First.

Promotion-relegation playoffs will see 3rd play 4th in the quarter-final with the winner taking on 2nd in the semi-final. The 9th placed Premier club will take on the semi-final winner in the promotion-relegation final. All playoff rounds being played over two legs.

[Philosophizer]

All fairly sensible.
Altho why it took this long to release the info is beyond me

[gufcfan]

All fairly sensible.
Altho why it took this long to release the info is beyond me

Clubs were having their say. Whether the FAI listened to them is anyone's guess, but as others have said, it's a sensible enough structure.

[total hoofball]

Major negative for the LOI not having two automatic promotion spots for the First Division - nothing sensible of having too short of a season with endless two-legged play-offs only existing to fill out the calendar. 4th place team out of only 10 teams over a league season should have no business on having a chance of promotion in any league

[legendz]

Major negative for the LOI not having two automatic promotion spots for the First DivisionIt might be a major negative for you but that's hardly reflective for the LoI.

https://twitter.com/CobhRamblersFC/status/936315606323941377

The Cobh manager is all for the playoffs. There was never going to be more than one team being automatically relegated. The First Division has gained two decent clubs and a play-off system that hopefully will aid the profile and appeal of the First Division.

[outspoken]

Delighted with the play off system it should ensure everyone bar the bottom two will still have something to play for all season unlike the shambles that was the 2017 season.

[oriel]

Decent format, most should be happy with that, fair too on the FD sides with promotion chances available for the side finishing 4th and to be honest that's all that's required. It should make the FD competitive.

Also no talk of the dreaded top half / bottom half anywhere. Absolutely hated that, horrible memories of just making up the numbers in 5th or 6th, one other season, possibly 92/93, we may have also been bottom 6 too one year, can't remember but I do recall Pats being bottom 6 once, nearly destroyed them, it would to any team.

[Bray Head]

Decent format, most should be happy with that, fair too on the FD sides with promotion chances available for the side finishing 4th and to be honest that's all that's required. It should make the FD competitive.

Also no talk of the dreaded top half / bottom half anywhere. Absolutely hated that, horrible memories of just making up the numbers in 5th or 6th, one other season, possibly 92/93, we may have also been bottom 6 too one year, can't remember but I do recall Pats being bottom 6 once, nearly destroyed them, it would to any team.

That Top half/Bottom half split is the worst thing in football. Surprised that the Scottish league still do it. Hopefully it never comes back here.

[legendz]

That Top half/Bottom half split is the worst thing in football. Surprised that the Scottish league still do it. Hopefully it never comes back here.Conroy suggested a split. The clubs were not for it and the FAI seemed not to have pushed for it.

A split would only stand some chance of working if it the top team of the bottom section was earning a Europa playoff spot like is done in Wales.

A Europa League playoff for the final spot didn't make the cut either. I'd imagine there was a reluctance to move the Cup final from it's current date after the end of the league. It wouldn't have been feasible for clubs to have to wait for the Cup final before knowing if they were in a play-off or not.

More often than not, depending on the Cup winner, the top 4 spots in the league will offer European football, the middle 2 spots Scottish Challenge Cup football and the bottom 2 spots are the relegation playoff spot and automatic relegation. It should keep all teams active in pursuit of qualifying for something or avoiding the drop.

The 3 major sporting organisations have got their act together on their respective competition formats. The Pro 14 is now based on merit in recent years. The GAA are introducing group stages to their championships. The LoI now has a balanced league structure that should create the platform for more high profile games with something on the line towards the end of the season.