First Division (Ireland)

First Division (Ireland) (League of Ireland First Division) - the second tier of the Republic of Ireland league system, organised under the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). Regulations: the league is contested by 10 clubs who play each other four times per season (home and away), teams receive 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a defeat, rankings are decided by points, then goal difference and goals scored, and if still level a head-to-head record is applied where points in the relevant matches take priority and away goals are only considered after that. Promotion: the champions are promoted to the League of Ireland Premier Division, while teams finishing 2nd to 5th contest a play-off (two-legged semi-finals 2nd vs 5th and 3rd vs 4th, followed by a final at a neutral venue), the play-off winner then plays a single neutral-venue match against the 9th-placed Premier Division club for a place in the next season's Premier Division, and the 10th-placed Premier Division club is relegated to the First Division automatically. International qualification: there is no direct UEFA place from the First Division league position, but a First Division club can qualify via winning the FAI Cup, with the exact UEFA competition depending on Ireland's allocation and licensing requirements.