1921–22 League of Ireland

League of Ireland
Season	1921–22
Dates	17 September – 17 December 1921
Champions	St. James's Gate (1st title)
Matches played	56
Goals scored	204 (3.64 per match)
Top goalscorer	Jack Kelly (11 goals)
Biggest home win	Dublin United 6-0 Frankfort
Biggest away win	YMCA 0-5 Bohemians
Highest scoring	Frankfort 4-4 YMCA
	1922–23 →

The 1921–22 League of Ireland was the inaugural season of top-tier football in the Republic of Ireland. It began on 17 September and ended on 17 December 1921.

Teams

Dublin

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Locations of the 1921-22 League of Ireland teams

Team	Location	Stadium
Bohemians	Dublin (Phibsborough)	Dalymount Park
Dublin United	Dublin (Donnybrook)	Beech Hill
Jacobs	Dublin (Crumlin)	Rutland Avenue
Frankfort	Dublin (Drumcondra)	Richmond Road
Olympia	Dublin (Inchicore)	Bellevue Lodge
St. James's Gate	Dublin (Crumlin)	St. James's Park
Shelbourne	Dublin (Ringsend)	Shelbourne Park
YMCA	Dublin (Sandymount)	Claremount Road

Season overview

The first season of the League of Ireland featured eight teams in a single division, all of whom were based in Dublin. All eight teams had spent the previous season playing in the Leinster Senior League, while Bohemians and Shelbourne had also played in the 1919–20 Irish League.

The league was won by St James's Gate,^[1] who went on to complete a treble by winning both the FAI Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup, while Shelbourne won the League of Ireland Shield.

Frankfort and YMCA withdrew from the league at the end of the season, and together with Rathmines Athletic and Reds United they make up a group of four clubs who have played just one season in the top level of the League of Ireland.^[2]

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	St. James's Gate (C)	14	11	1	2	31	8	+23	23
2	Bohemians	14	10	1	3	35	13	+22	21
3	Shelbourne	14	8	2	4	31	21	+10	18
4	Olympia	14	5	4	5	20	21	−1	14
5	Jacobs	14	4	4	6	23	27	−4	12
6	Frankfort	14	3	5	6	22	32	−10	11
7	Dublin United	14	5	0	9	25	39	−14	10
8	YMCA	14	0	3	11	17	43	−26	3

Source: ^[1]^[3]^[4]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions

Results

Home \ Away	BOH	DBU	FRA	JAC	OLY	STG	SHE	YMC
Bohemians	—	4–2	0–0	2–0	1–0	1–2	2–0	5–0
Dublin United	2–5	—	6–0	3–1	0–3	2–0	1–2	3–2
Frankfort	1–3	5–0	—	3–0	3–3	2–1	0–4	4–4
Jacobs	1–3	4–0	4–1	—	2–1	0–0	1–4	3–1
Olympia	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–2	—	0–4	1–1	2–1
St. James's Gate	1–0	5–1	2–0	4–2	0–1	—	4–1	2–0
Shelbourne	2–1	2–3	3–1	1–1	3–1	0–2	—	4–1
YMCA	1–5	2–4	1–1	2–2	0–2	0–2	2–4	—

Source: ^[3]^[4]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top goalscorers

Pos	Player	Club	Goals
1	Jack Kelly	St James's Gate	11
2	Patrick Smith	Jacobs	10
3	Edward Pollock	Bohemians	9

References

^ ^a ^b "A Well-earned Championship for St. James's Gate". The Athletic News. Manchester. 19 December 1921. p. 3. Retrieved 22 September 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "The Abandoned Leinster Senior Cup, One Season Wonders and more". League of Ireland History. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
^ ^a ^b McSweeney, Niall. A Record of League of Ireland Football 1921-22 to 1984-85. Association of Football Statisticians.
^ ^a ^b Graham, Alex. Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921-2005. Soccer Books Limited. ISBN 1-86223-135-4.

[AthleticNews-1] "A Well-earned Championship for St. James's Gate". The Athletic News. Manchester. 19 December 1921. p. 3. Retrieved 22 September 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[2] "The Abandoned Leinster Senior Cup, One Season Wonders and more". League of Ireland History. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2019.

[McSweeney-3] McSweeney, Niall. A Record of League of Ireland Football 1921-22 to 1984-85. Association of Football Statisticians.

[Graham-4] Graham, Alex. Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921-2005. Soccer Books Limited. ISBN 1-86223-135-4.

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