THE FAI HAS announced today that the SSE Airtricity League of Ireland will switch to a 10-team, two-division structure from the 2018 season.
The move has been ratified by the FAI’s board following a proposal by the Premier Clubs Alliance [PCA].
It means that the Premier Division and the First Division will each be made up of 10 teams from next season onwards, as opposed to the 12/8 split that’s currently in operation.
As a result, three clubs will be automatically relegated from the Premier Division at the end of the 2017 season, with only the First Division champions securing promotion.
The fixtures for the new campaign have also been released, with Dundalk beginning their quest for a fourth Premier Division consecutive title at Oriel Park on 24 February against Shamrock Rovers, for whom Ronan Finn and Darren Meenan will be in line to play against their former club.
Click here to view the full list of Premier Division fixtures for 2017 and click here to see the First Division schedule.
