Premier Division
The complete schedule for the Men’s Premier Division, Men’s First Division, and Women’s Premier Division of the League of Ireland for 2023 have been released.
The fixtures for the rebranded leagues have been seeded, including those scheduled for the opening night on February 17 and the St. Patrick’s weekend schedule.
Clubs can now begin to prepare for the busy season ahead. Shamrock Rovers, the defending Men’s Premier Division champions, will kick off their title defence on Saturday, February 18, when they travel to Sligo Rovers.
Derry City, the FAI Cup champions and runners-up from last year, will kick things off with a trip to St. Patrick’s Athletic, while newly promoted Cork City will host Bohemians on the first night.
First Division
On February 17, newly promoted Kerry FC will host a Munster derby against Cobh Ramblers, while recently-relegated Finn Harps will open the Men’s First Division with a home game against Galway United.
Having finished 3rd and losing 3-0 to Waterford in the promotion play off final, John Caulfield’s Galway United will be looking to bounce back and make a push for that desired top spot which would grant them automatic promotion to the Premier Division next season.
In a revamped system of 10 teams instead of 9, newly added Kerry FC will make their first away trip to the coast in Wicklow where they’ll take on Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds.
Bray have looked to strengthen their defence in the transfer window by bringing in former Bohs and Wexford youngster Len O’Sulllivan along with Jamie Callaghan and Zach Donohue who have re-signed while Cole Omorehiomwan has joined from Shamrock Rovers.
Bray’s new coach Ian Ryan formally of Wexford FC seems to have a clear plan to stop goals from going in the wrong end this season with Bray looking to improve on the 7th place finish last year.
FAI Cup fixtures
The first round of the FAI Cup has been scheduled for the week of July 23. The final of which will take place at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday, November 12.
The Women’s FAI Cup’s Round 1 will then take place on the week of August 27th with the final scheduled for Sunday, November 19.
Who to look out for
Waterford are a very exciting team to watch and one you should be keeping an eye on. With them being in the first division, they are bound to be away from the spotlight. After beating Galway United by 3 goals to nil in the promotion play off final, Danny Searles side couldn’t get past UCD to solidify their place in the Premier Division for the upcoming Season. That 1-0 loss to UCD will only bring more motivation for the upcoming season as Waterford will look to improve on their second place finish last season by claiming the top spot and going far in the FAI Cup.
They have some of the most exciting wingers to watch in the country, some of which would make you feel like you’re watching Fifa, so definitely keep an eye out for them!
The Student Social 