Ireland Republic - Premier League
The division was formed as the League of Ireland Premier Division in 1985 as a result of the decision to split the League of Ireland into two divisions, which also created the League of Ireland First Division. The league is ranked thirty first in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five years, ahead of Lithuania’s A Lyga and behind Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Premier League. In 2009, the FAI rejected proposals from clubs to remove the division and restore the League of Ireland to its original structure.