Four different groups, two in Dublin and two in Limerick have been cleared to apply for a license to compete in the first division of the SSE Airtricity League in 2021.
This is just the first stage in the process and there has been no indication yet of how many teams will be admitted to the League.
Limerick FC is one of the groups, led by owner Pat O’Sullivan. They were forced to leave the League in 2019 after an examinership process but feel now as though they are in better shape for a return.
Limerick was without any club last season but next year it could be two with Treaty United back in the mix. They have secured access to the old Markets Field site that has been the traditional home of Limerick soccer.
The third team to secure the go-ahead to seek a license is the Shamrocks Rovers B team that fielded in 2020, though there is uncertainty over whether that would be agreed again in 2021. It had previously been felt it was a stop-gap measure.
The fourth group is operating under the working name of Dublin County FC and backed by a group of investors including the husband and wife team that own the New Jersey Rebels.
If both of the Dublin teams were admitted it would mean eight teams from within the Dublin boundary as well as Bray Wanderers from just outside.
This year’s League season was played to a conclusion and clubs survived through a mix of government grants, employment assistance and other supports.
The review of the WatchLOI project that brought every Premier League game and a number from the first division online through streaming has yet to be completed but the hope is that even if fans are not fully back in stadia for the start of the new season that it will not be long after.
Ten teams competed in the first division in 2020 with Drogheda United winning the title. Four points separated UCD in third from Cabinteely in seventh in what was a competitive table. Athlone Town and Wexford FC propped up the table but each secured twelve points and were not out of their depth.
Sport for Business Partners
