The 2013 Airtricity League season gets underway on Friday evening this week.  Limerick City will host the first televised game of the season against Cork City at the latest league venue of Thomond Park on Sunday.
The 12 clubs that make up the top flight and the eight that will compete at the second tier are looking forward to a second successive profitable season.
Last week we covered new sponsorship deals from Volkswagen dealers for Shelbourne and Bohemians and throughout this week we will carry a number of features about how the clubs are shaping up for the season ahead.
The official launch of the League took place last Friday at the Aviva Stadium and it was revealed that the clubs competing last year had made a collective profit of almost €250,000.  This is a notable achievement in an era when profit and football clubs are rarely seen on the same spreadsheet.
Eleven clubs made an operating profit last year and none made a loss of more than €40,000 after exceptional items were taken into account.
As short a time ago as 2007 the aggregate losses of clubs in the League was almost €7 million and to have secured such a turnaround during a time of economic recession is a credit to the clubs and the League.
The aggregate losses of clubs in the top flight divisions of the sport across Europe have gone in the opposite direction with €1.7 Billion of a red figure being recorded during 2011, the last ful year reported by UEFA.
Commenting on the 2012 figures, the Director of the Airtricity League Fran Gavin said: “This is a significant milestone for our clubs and represents a major turnaround in club finances since the FAI took over the League in 2007,” said Fran Gavin, Director of the Airtricity League.
“The clubs should be congratulated for the achievement but we cannot be complacent. Collectively, we must continue to ensure prudence in the interests of supporters and the Airtricity League as a whole, ensuring that clubs develop sustainably with a focus on facilities, coaching and playing squads to continue the upward trend.”
 
Live TV coverage will be carried this season on RTE and Setanta Sports and the popular RTE Two weekly highlights programme, MNS, will return to the screens on Monday, March 11th.
 
“The Airtricity League continues to improve all the time,” said Paul O’Shaughnessy of Airtricity,  “and we’re very proud, through our sponsorship and our association with clubs, fans and communities all across the country, to play our part towards that improvement.”
 
Prize-money for the 2013 season will be the same as last year with the winners of the Premier Division receiving €100,000. The Premier Division clubs will be playing for a prize-fund of €241,500 with €74,000 at stake in the First Division.
 
The 12 clubs participating in the 2013 Premier Division will be: Bohemians, Bray Wanderers, Cork City, Derry City, Drogheda United, Dundalk, Limerick, St Patrick’s Athletic, Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, Sligo Rovers and UCD.
 
The eight clubs participating in the 2013 First Division will be: Athlone Town, Cobh Ramblers, Finn Harps, Longford Town, Mervue United, Salthill Devon, Waterford United and Wexford Youths.
On Tuesday, Sport for Business will look at attendance and social media followings for each of the Premier League clubs and throughout the week we will feature profiles of the commercial set up behind the twelve.