What 2025 has in store for Stephen Bradley, Damien Duff and the rest of the League of Ireland
2024 was a record-breaking campaign in the League of Ireland, but next season promises to be even bigger and better.
Has there ever been a more eagerly-anticipated League of Ireland campaign?
We head into 2025 knowing for certain that history will be made on a number of fronts, and believing the record books can be rewritten elsewhere too.
For the first time since the birth of European club football, an Irish outfit is still involved post-Christmas, with Shamrock Rovers set for a February Europa Conference League knockout clash with Molde.
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Despite their 2022 home and away defeats to the Norwegians, the Hoops will fancy their chances of making the last-16 and adding to their unprecedented €6.5m earnings to date.
In between the away and home legs, Rovers will be involved in another big first for the League of Ireland - a Dublin derby against Bohemians at the Aviva Stadium.
Interest in that one is expected to be huge, with the two cross-city rivals kicking off their campaigns in a fixture unparalleled in the Irish game.
That game, taking place in a 50,000-capacity stadium, could be the perfect platform to set more records in 2025.
Attendances
The 2024 season saw attendances at games involving League of Ireland clubs hit one million-plus for the first time ever.
In total, 1,001,630 fans walked through turnstiles up and down the land to watch games in the men's Premier Division and First Division, women’s Premier Division, men's and women's FAI Cups, the All-Island Cup and in Europe.
The pressure is now on to beat that number and keep the interest in the game here growing.
Dalymount farewell
If all goes to plan, 2025 will be the last season for the historic Dalymount Park as we know it. That fact alone should be enough to guarantee full houses every other weekend.
It is expected that redevelopment work will begin in 2026, with Bohs moving to a temporary home while their new 8,000-capacity UEFA Category Three stadium is built.
The Dalymount project was the biggest recipient of money in a historically generous Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) handout to League of Ireland sides in November.
The €24.7m awarded to the Phibsborough redevelopment dwarfed the massive €16.4m given to Sligo Rovers for their own ambitious stadium plans, while Wexford received €2m.
All Rover bar the shouting
Millwall were the latest club to take a close look at Stephen Bradley’s remarkably successful spell as Shamrock Rovers manager - and it’s only a matter of time before the Hoops are on the lookout for a new manager.
Our prediction is that a different man will be in the dugout by the end of 2025.
Bradley has achieved everything in the Irish game, winning four Premier Divisions and an FAI Cup. He is the first manager to qualify for two European group stage campaigns and to lead a club into the new year knockout rounds.
“I have had a number of approaches over the last 18 months from clubs, but I have also made it very clear that my son has been battling cancer and that’s my number one priority and has been,” said Bradley last week when quizzed on the Millwall interest.
He added that brave Josh was “nearly finished” his three years of treatment.
As for their next manager? We could see former midfielder Stephen Rice - with Premier League (Crystal Palace) and international (Ireland) coaching experience - fitting into the role.
Duff at the top
First off, the biggest lesson to take from 2024 should be - write off Damien Duff at your peril.
Right from when he first took the Shelbourne job, folk were suggesting that he wouldn’t last the course. Three seasons later, he delivered the biggest prize in Irish football.
Even on their way to glory, predictions that they would fall away were plentiful, but when it came to the crunch they delivered.
With five minutes to go on the final night, Shamrock Rovers were on course for a historic five-in-a-row, but up popped Harry Wood with a title-clinching goal at the Ryan McBride Brandywell.
2025 will be even tougher for Duffer and his players.
Derry City are under new management, with Tiarnan Lynch coming in after winning two NIFL Premierships with Larne, and securing a first ever European group/league phase qualification for a Northern Irish side.
Rovers are on a mission to reclaim their crown and St Patrick’s Athletic are on the ascendancy under Stephen Kenny.
If last year’s title race was tight, 2025 could deliver an even tenser finale.
Going for gold
Shelbourne are going through something of a title drought in the women’s game, with Peamount United and current champions Athlone Town claiming League of Ireland gold in the last two seasons.
Their FAI Cup crushing of Athlone, who subsequently lost manager Ciaran Kilduff, may well be a sign of things to come as Eoin Wearen’s side aim for a return to the top.
Predictions
Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic
FAI Cup: Shamrock Rovers
European qualification: Shelbourne and Derry City
Relegation: Cork City
Women’s Premier Division: Shelbourne
Women’s FAI Cup: Galway United
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