Big Money on offer for Top teams this season

Last updated : 08 March 2005 By Barry Landy
The Champions of this years Eircom League will pocket a huge €100,000.

The new prize for the eircom League Premier Division champions – up from €18,000 last year, or an increase of almost 600 per cent – comes on the back of a multi-platform television rights agreement with RTE, TV3 and Setanta Sports last month.

The total eircom League prize fund increased from €98,000 to more than €400,000 as a result of that agreement, and the distribution of the prize money reflects that greater fund.

The Premier Division runners-up will receive €45,000 (up from €12,000) while the third-placed side will receive €25,000 (previously €6,500), and the club finishing in fourth will receive €15,000 – just €3,000 less than that received by 2004 champions Shelbourne (pictured right, Shels manager Pat Fenlon).


In the First Division, the champions will receive €25,000 (up from €12,000), the runners-up will receive €12,500 (increased from €6,000), the third-placed club now receives €7,500 (previously €2,500) and the fourth receives €6,000.

Every other club in the league, from fifth place to 12th in the Premier and from fifth to 10th in the First, will receive a minimum of €5000.

Full list of prize-money for 2005:

Premier Division:
Champions: €100,000
Runners-up: €45,000
Third: 25,000
Fourth: €15,000
Fifth:€10,000
Sixth: €7,500
Seventh: €6,000
Eight-Twelfth: €5,000

First Division:
Champions: €25,000
Runners-up: €12,500
Third: €7,500
Fourth: €6,000
Fifth-Tenth: €5,000