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. They retained the title on 24 October as a result of Derry City drawing 0-0 away to Sligo Rovers.
| Season | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 February – 4 November 2022 |
| Champions | Shamrock Rovers (20th title) |
| Relegated | Finn Harps |
| Champions League | Shamrock Rovers |
| Europa Conference League | Derry City Dundalk St. Patrick's Athletic |
| Matches | 180 |
| Goals | 472 (2.62 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Aidan Keena (18 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Derry City 7–1 UCD (22 April 2022) Shelbourne 6-0 Drogheda United (28 October 2022) |
| Biggest away win | St Patrick's Athletic 0–4 Derry City (29 April 2022) Drogheda United 0–4 St Patrick's Athletic (6 May 2022) |
| Highest scoring | Derry City 7–1 UCD (22 April 2022) Shelbourne 4–4 St Patrick's Athletic (3 October 2022) |
| Longest winning run | Derry City (6 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Derry City (16 games) |
| Longest winless run | UCD (14 games) |
| Longest losing run | Finn Harps (4 games) UCD (4 games) Drogheda United (4 games) |
| Highest attendance | 7,726 Shamrock Rovers 1–0 Derry City (30 October 2022) |
| Lowest attendance | 473 UCD 0–2 Derry City (4 April 2022) |
| Total attendance | 486,365 |
| Average attendance | 2,687 |
← 2021 2023 → All statistics correct as of 7 November 2022. | |
Teams
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. 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).
Stadiums and locations
Bohemians
St Patrick's Athletic
Shamrock Rovers
Shelbourne
UCD
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | Dublin (Phibsborough) | Dalymount Park | 3,640 |
| Derry City | Derry | Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium | 3,700 |
| Drogheda United | Drogheda | Head In The Game Park | 3,500 |
| Dundalk | Dundalk | Oriel Park | 4,500 |
| Finn Harps | Ballybofey | Finn Park | 6,000 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Dublin (Inchicore) | Richmond Park | 5,340 |
| Shamrock Rovers | Dublin (Tallaght) | Tallaght Stadium | 8,000 |
| Shelbourne | Dublin (Drumcondra) | Tolka Park | 4,400 |
| Sligo Rovers | Sligo | The Showgrounds | 3,873 |
| UCD | Dublin (Belfield) | UCD Bowl | 3,000 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Managerial changes
| 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 |
| Derek Pender | Permanent appointment | 14 October 2022 | 6th | Declan Devine | 14 October 2022 |
League table
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shamrock Rovers (C) | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 61 | 22 | +39 | 79 | Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Derry City | 36 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 53 | 27 | +26 | 66 | Qualification for Europa Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Dundalk | 36 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 53 | 30 | +23 | 66 | |
| 4 | St Patrick's Athletic | 36 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 57 | 37 | +20 | 61 | |
| 5 | Sligo Rovers | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 47 | 44 | +3 | 49 | |
| 6 | Bohemians | 36 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 45 | 46 | −1 | 46 | |
| 7 | Shelbourne | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 40 | 49 | −9 | 41 | |
| 8 | Drogheda United | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 34 | 58 | −24 | 38 | |
| 9 | UCD (O) | 36 | 6 | 8 | 22 | 28 | 67 | −39 | 26 | Qualification for relegation play-offs |
| 10 | Finn Harps (R) | 36 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 33 | 71 | −38 | 20 | Relegation to 2023 League of Ireland First Division |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Positions by round
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.
= Leader and UEFA Champions League first qualifying round; = UEFA Conference League first qualifying round; = Qualification to the Relegation play-offs; = Relegation to the League of Ireland First Division
Results
Teams will play each other four times (twice at home, twice away).
*Note Sligo Rovers defeated Dundalk 2–0 but the result was overturned by the Football Association of Ireland to a 3–0 win for Dundalk after it was ruled that Sligo had fielded a suspended player.
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aidan Keena | Sligo Rovers | 18 |
| 2 | Eoin Doyle | St Patrick's Athletic | 14 |
| 3 | Graham Burke | Shamrock Rovers | 11 |
| Jamie McGonigle | Derry City | ||
| Seán Boyd | Shelbourne | ||
| 6 | Will Patching | Derry City | 10 |
| Rory Gaffney | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 8 | Patrick Hoban | Dundalk | 9 |
| 9 | Dawson Devoy | Bohemians | 8 |
| 10 | Max Mata | Sligo Rovers | 7 |
| Andy Lyons | Shamrock Fovers | ||
| Danny Mandroiu | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| Jack Moylan | Shelbourne |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Play-offs
Bracket
| First Division play-off Semi-finals | First Division play-off Final | Promotion/relegation play-off | |||||||||||||
| 26/29 October 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| 11 November 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Treaty United | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 November 2022 | UCD | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Waterford | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Waterford | 3 | Waterford | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 26/29 October 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Galway United | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Longford Town | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Galway United | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||||
First Division play-off Semi-finals
First leg
| 26 October 2022 | Treaty United | 1–4 | Waterford | Limerick |
| 19:45 IST | Enda Curran 62' (pen.) | Report | Phoenix Patterson 5' Phoenix Patterson 29' Junior Quitirna 70' Sean Guerins 90+4' (o.g.) | Stadium: Markets Field Referee: Damien MacGraith |
| 26 October 2022 | Longford Town | 2–2 | Galway United | Longford |
| 19:45 IST | Jordan Adeyemo 28' Jordan Adeyemo 54' | Report | Mikie Rowe 49' Mikie Rowe 61' | Stadium: Bishopsgate Referee: Kevin O'Sullivan |
Second leg
| 29 October 2022 | Waterford | 3–3 | Treaty United | Waterford |
| 19:45 IST | Timi Sobowale 22' Wassim Aouachria 48' (pen.) Phoenix Patterson 54' | Report | Mark Ludden 9' (pen.) Mark Ludden 26' Lee Molloy 29' | Stadium: RSC Attendance: 2,585 Referee: Paul Norton |
| 30 October 2022 | Galway United | 3–0 | Longford Town | Galway |
| 16:00 IST | David Hurley 24' Mikie Rowe 90' Rob Manley 90+4' | Report | Stadium: Eamonn Deacy Park Referee: Damien McGraith |
First Division play-off Final
| 4 November 2022 | Galway United | 0–3 | Waterford | County Limerick |
| 19:45 IST | Report | Junior Quitirna 9' Wassim Aouachria 45+1' Junior Quitirna 81' | Stadium: Markets Field Referee: Alan Patchell |
Promotion/relegation play-off
| 11 November 2022 | UCD | 1–0 | Waterford | County Dublin |
| 19:45 IST | Tommy Lonergan 15' | Report | Stadium: Richmond Park Attendance: 2781 Referee: Rob Harvey |
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Player of the Month | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | ||
| February | Steven Bradley | Dundalk | |
| March | Aidan Keena | Sligo Rovers | |
| April | Jamie McGonigle | Derry City | |
| May | Daniel Kelly | Dundalk | |
| June | Mark Connolly | Dundalk | |
| July | Aidan Keena | Sligo Rovers | |
| August | Andy Lyons | Shamrock Rovers | |
| September | Phoenix Patterson | Waterford | |
| October | Rory Gaffney | Shamrock Rovers | |
| November | Cameron McJannet | Derry City | |
Annual awards
| 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) | Seán Boyd (Shelbourne) | ||||||||||
See also
- 2022 President of Ireland's Cup
- 2022 FAI Cup
- 2022 League of Ireland First Division
- 2022 St Patrick's Athletic F.C. season
- 2022 Bohemian F.C. season
- 2022 Shelbourne F.C. season
- 2022 Dundalk F.C. season
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