2002–03 League Of Ireland First Division
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The 2002–03 League of Ireland First Division season was the 18th season of the
League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division w ...
. The First Division was contested by 12 teams.
Waterford United Waterford Football Club formerly Waterford United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Waterford who play in the League of Ireland Premier Division. The club was founded and elected to the league in 1930. Originally the ...
won the title while
Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club is an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their ho ...
won the First Division Cup, a one-off tournament staged this season.


Overview


First Division Cup

Between July and August the 12 teams competed in the First Division Cup. The teams were divided into two regionalised groups and played a single round of games. The two group winners then qualified for the final. On 6 July 2002 Kildare County, the
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...
's newest members, made their competitive debut against
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
at Station Road. Philip Gorman and Shey Zellor scored for County as they won 2–0. County went on to win their regional group and qualify for the final but lost 4–0 on aggregate to
Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club is an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their ho ...
.


Final tables

;Southern section ;Northern section


Final

''
Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club is an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their ho ...
win 4–0 on aggregate.''


Regular season

The regular season began in August and concluded in January. It used a round-robin format which saw each team play 22 games. Under manager
Jimmy McGeough Jimmy McGeough (born 13 August 1944) is a Northern Irish former football player and manager. Playing and coaching career His clubs included Derry City, Lincoln and Waterford United. Joining Derry in July 1963 he was part of the only Derry Ci ...
and with a team that included Dan Connor,
Waterford United Waterford Football Club formerly Waterford United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Waterford who play in the League of Ireland Premier Division. The club was founded and elected to the league in 1930. Originally the ...
won the title and were automatically promoted to the 2003 Premier Division.


Final table


Promotion/relegation play-off

The promotion/relegation play-off format was changed this season. It now featured four teams, the second, third and fourth placed teams from the First Division plus
Drogheda United Drogheda United Football Club is a professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches at Sullivan & Lambe Park. The current club is the ...
, the ninth placed team from the
2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 18th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division was made up of 10 teams. Bohemians were declared champions. Regular season The 2003 season would see the League of Irela ...
.


Semi-finals

;1st Legs ;2nd Legs ''
Galway United Galway United Football Club () is an Irish professional football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division following promotion from the First Division in 2023. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the ...
win 2–1 on aggregate'' ''
Drogheda United Drogheda United Football Club is a professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches at Sullivan & Lambe Park. The current club is the ...
win 4–2 on aggregate''


Final

''
Drogheda United Drogheda United Football Club is a professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches at Sullivan & Lambe Park. The current club is the ...
win 3–2 on aggregate and retain their place in the Premier Division.''


See also

*
2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 18th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division was made up of 10 teams. Bohemians were declared champions. Regular season The 2003 season would see the League of Irela ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2002-03 League of Ireland First Division League of Ireland First Division seasons 2002–03 in Republic of Ireland association football
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...