Isle of Man Premier League
The Isle of Man Premier League (also known as the Canada Life Premier League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest division of the Isle of Man Football League and the highest overall in the Isle of Man football league system. The Premier League, which was introduced for the 2007–08 season, was previously known as the First Division. Each year, the top finishing club is crowned league champion, and the two lowest placed clubs are relegated to Division Two.
| Founded | 2007–present 1896–2007 (as Division One) |
|---|---|
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Division Two |
| Domestic cup(s) | Isle of Man FA Cup |
| Current champions | Corinthians (2020–21) |
| Most championships | St Georges (9 titles) |
| Website | |
| Current: 2021–22 Isle of Man Premier League | |
In 2018–19 season, St Marys were the division champions and St Georges were the runners-up. St Johns United and Braddan were relegated to Division Two, finishing 12th and 13th place respectively.[1]
History
The Isle of Man Premier League was introduced for the 2007–08 season.
Structure of the league
Competition
The league comprises 13 clubs. Over the course of a season, which runs annually from August to the following May, a club plays each of the others in the same division twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home and once at that of their opponents. This makes for a total of 24 games played each season. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat. Clubs are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of the season, the first placed club in the league is crowned Premier League champions.
Promotion and relegation
A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Premier League and Division Two. At the end of each season the two lowest placed clubs in the Premier League are relegated to Division two, and the top two placed clubs from Division Two are promoted to the Premier League.
Current members
The following 13 clubs are competing in the Premier League during the 2019–20 season.
| Club | Finishing position last season | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castletown Metropolitan | 10th | Castletown | Castletown Football Stadium | |
| Corinthians | 4th | Douglas | Nobles Park | |
| Douglas Athletic | 6th | Douglas | Groves Road | |
| Douglas HSOB | 7th | Onchan | DHSOB Football Ground | |
| Douglas Royal | 11th | Douglas | Nobles Park | |
| Laxey | 9th | Laxey | Laxey Football Ground | 1,000[2] |
| Marown | 8th | Crosby | Memorial Playing Fields | |
| Peel | 3rd | Peel | Peel A.F.C Football Ground | |
| Pulrose United | 2nd in Division Two (Promoted) | Douglas | Groves Road Stadium | |
| Ramsey | 1st in Division Two (Promoted) | Ramsey | Ballacloan Stadium | |
| Rushen United | 5th | Port Erin | Croit Lowey | 1,500[3] |
| St Georges | 2nd | Douglas | The Campsite | |
| St Marys | 1st | Douglas | The Bowl | 3,000[4] |
Results
League champions and runners-up
| Season | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Castletown 69 | Peel 58 |
| 2008–09 | St Georges 58 | Peel 57 |
| 2009–10 | Castletown 63 | St Marys 58 |
| 2010–11 | Castletown 68 | Douglas High School Old Boys 60 |
| 2011–12 | St Georges 70 | Castletown 58 |
| 2012–13 | Castletown 65 | Laxey 52 |
| 2013–14 | St Georges 70 | St Marys 53 |
| 2014–15 | St Georges 66 | Peel 62 |
| 2015–16 | St Georges 70 | Peel 65 |
| 2016–17 | St Georges 69 | Corinthians 55 |
| 2017–18 | St Georges 64 | Peel 56 |
| 2018–19 | St Marys 59 | St Georges 52 |
| 2019–20 | cancelled due to Covid 19 | cancelled due to Covid 19 |
| 2020–21 | Corinthians 70 | Rushen United 56 |
| 2021–22 | Ayre United 56 | Rushen United 47 |
Relegated teams (from Premier League to Division Two)
| Season | Clubs |
|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Douglas Royal (11), St Johns United (14) |
| 2008–09 | Ayre United (14), Colby (17) |
| 2009–10 | Union Mills (3), St Johns United (13) |
| 2010–11 | Douglas Royal (7), Michael United (13) |
| 2011–12 | Ayre United (3), Ramsey YCOB (11) |
| 2012–13 | Marown (7), Gymnasium (13) |
| 2013–14 | Castletown Metropolitan (8), Ramsey YCOB (9) |
| 2014–15 | Michael United (3), Gymnasium (9) |
| 2015–16 | Ramsey YCOB (5), Marown (15) |
| 2016–17 | Ayre United (-1), Union Mills (7) |
| 2017–18 | Ramsey (11), Colby (11) |
| 2018–19 | St Johns United (13), Braddan (0) |
| 2019–20 | cancelled due to Covid 19 |
| 2020–21 | Douglas Athletic (15), St Johns United (12) |
Top scorers
| Season | Top scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 |  Callum Morrissey |
St Georges | 37 |
| 2008–09 | Callum Morrissey |
St Georges | 30 |
| 2009–10 | Steven Priestnal |
St Marys | 29 |
| 2010–11 | Steven Priestnal |
St Marys | 28 |
| 2011–12 | Josh Kelly |
Rushen United | 31 |
| 2012–13 | Steven Priestnal |
St Marys | 37 |
| 2013–14 | Ciaran McNulty |
St Georges | 30 |
| 2014–15 | Josh Kelly |
Peel | 40 |
| 2015–16 | Ciaran McNulty |
St Georges | 40 |
| 2016–17 | Ashley Webster |
Peel | 36 |
| 2017–18 | Ciaran McNulty |
St Georges | 45 |
| 2018–19 | Sean Doyle |
Corinthians | 39 |
See also
References
- "Isle of Man Senior Men's Leagues". full-time.thefa.com. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- klaiber-it.de, Timo Klaiber. "Laxey Football Ground (Glen Road)". Europlan-Online. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- klaiber-it.de, Timo Klaiber. "Croit Lowey". Europlan-Online. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- "Douglas Bowl stadium refurbishment begins". BBC News. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2017.