The 2006 League of Ireland First Division season was the 22nd season of the League of Ireland First Division. The First Division was contested by 10 teams and Shamrock Rovers won the division. Each team played the other teams four times, totalling 36 games.
| Season | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Shamrock Rovers |
| Promoted | Galway United |
| Top goalscorer | Philip Hughes: 19 (Dundalk)[1][2] |
← 2005 2007 → | |
Club information
| Team | Manager | Main sponsor | Kit supplier | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town |  Michael O'Connor | Ganly's Hardware | O'Neills | St. Mel's Park | 3,000 |
| Cobh Ramblers | Stephen Henderson | Goodyear | Uhlsport | St. Colman's Park | 5,000 |
| Dundalk | John Gill | IJM Timber Frame Company | Diadora | Oriel Park | 11,000 |
| Finn Harps | Anthony Gorman | Harley's Cheers Bar | PF Sports | Finn Park | 7,900 |
| Galway United | Tony Cousins | Harrmack Developments Ltd. | Umbro | Terryland Park | 3,500 |
| Kildare County | John Ryan | Celbridge Football Park | Umbro | Station Road | 2,500 |
| Kilkenny City | Adrian Fitzpatrick | The Kilkenny Voice | Umbro | Buckley Park | 6,500 |
| Limerick | Danny Drew | Asian Harvest | Jako | Hogan Park | 9,000 |
| Monaghan United | Mick Cooke | The Steering Wheel | Diadora | Century Homes Park | 3,000 |
| Shamrock Rovers | Pat Scully | Woodie's DIY | Umbro | Tolka Park | 10,100 |
Overview
In March 2006 it was announced that the League of Ireland and the Football Association of Ireland would be merging. As part of this arrangement the league would be restructured and membership of the 2007 Premier Division and 2007 First Division would be decided by an Independent Assessment Group chaired by a former FAI honorary secretary, Des Casey. Clubs would be assessed on their past five season record in the league. Crucially though, clubs would also be graded on off-field criteria, including attendance, infrastructure, governance, strategic planning, finance, youth development and marketing.[2][3] This decision would have a considerable impact on the 2006 First Division which began on March 10 and finished on November 18. The season developed into three-way battle between Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk and Galway United. Shamrock Rovers eventually emerged as champions while Dundalk finished second and went on to defeat Waterford United in a promotion/relegation play-off.[4][5][2][6] However it was subsequently announced that Dundalk had failed to meet the Independent Assessment Group criteria and they would not be promoted to the Premier Division and that third placed Galway United would be promoted instead.[2][3] The decision proved to be controversial and Dundalk were particularly aggrieved.[7] On 13 December, Mark Kavanagh, a Dundalk fan protesting the decision entered the FAI's headquarters in Merrion Square and allegedly threatened to set himself on fire after pouring petrol on his head and on furniture in the offices and reception area. He gave up the protest after obtaining a meeting with Dundalk manager John Gill.[8] Dundalk eventually accepted the FAI decision and remained in the First Division.[9]
Final table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shamrock Rovers | 36 | 21 | 12 | 3 | 53 | 13 | +40 | 72[a] | Promoted to Premier Division |
| 2 | Dundalk | 36 | 22 | 5 | 9 | 57 | 33 | +24 | 71 | [b] |
| 3 | Galway United | 36 | 19 | 12 | 5 | 57 | 25 | +32 | 69 | Promoted to Premier Division[c] |
| 4 | Cobh Ramblers | 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 50 | 33 | +17 | 58 | |
| 5 | Limerick | 36 | 14 | 5 | 17 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 47 | |
| 6 | Finn Harps | 36 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 49 | 45 | +4 | 46 | |
| 7 | Kildare County | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 38 | 55 | −17 | 43 | |
| 8 | Athlone Town | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 29 | 47 | −18 | 42 | |
| 9 | Monaghan United | 36 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 32 | 64 | −32 | 27 | |
| 10 | Kilkenny City | 36 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 25 | 65 | −40 | 17 |
Promotion/relegation play-off
Dundalk who finished second played off against Waterford United who finished eleventh in the Premier Division.
- 1st Leg
| 22 November 2006 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Waterford United |
- 2nd Leg
| 25 November 2006 | Waterford United | 1–2 | Dundalk |
Dundalk won 3–2 on aggregate but did not meet the criteria set out by the FAI's Independent Assessment Group and were not promoted.[6][2][3]
IAG table
| Pos | Team | Off field | On field | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derry City | 370 | 460 | 830 | |
| 2 | Cork City | 348 | 460 | 808 | |
| 3 | Bohemians | 372 | 423 | 795 | |
| 4 | Shelbourne [note 1] | 278 | 493 | 771 | Relegated to First Division |
| 5 | St Patrick's Athletic | 364 | 407 | 771 | |
| 6 | UCD | 374 | 370 | 744 | |
| 7 | Drogheda United | 300 | 437 | 737 | |
| 8 | Shamrock Rovers | 346 | 377 | 723 | Promoted to Premier Division |
| 9 | Longford Town | 284 | 430 | 714 | |
| 10 | Sligo Rovers | 360 | 343 | 703 | |
| 11 | Bray Wanderers | 351 | 333 | 684 | |
| 12 | Galway United [note 2] | 389 | 267 | 656 | Promoted to Premier Division |
| 13 | Waterford United [note 3] | 296 | 340 | 636 | Remained in Premier Division |
| 14 | Dundalk [note 4] | 348 | 247 | 595 | Remained in First Division |
| 15 | Finn Harps | 310 | 283 | 593 | |
| 16 | Cobh Ramblers | 315 | 240 | 555 | |
| 17 | Monaghan United | 331 | 173 | 504 | |
| 18 | Kildare County | 265 | 230 | 495 | |
| 19 | Athlone Town | 305 | 177 | 482 | |
| 20 | Kilkenny City | 266 | 177 | 443 | |
| 21 | Limerick | - | 243 | 243 | |
| 22 | Dublin City [note 5] | - | - | - | Withdrew from league |
Notes
Top scorers
| Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Philip Hughes | Dundalk | 19 |
| Conor Gethins | Finn Harps/Galway United | 16 |
| Tadhg Purcell | Shamrock Rovers | 12 |
| Barry Moran | Galway United | 11 |
Gallery
The clubs that competed in the 2006 League of Ireland.
