The Republic of Ireland football league system currently consists of 12 levels.
Traditionally association football leagues in the Republic of Ireland have been classified as either senior, intermediate or junior.
Before the partition of Ireland, three Dublin clubs – Bohemians, Shelbourne and Tritonville – played in the Irish Football League.
The Leinster Senior League's jurisdiction included the Greater Dublin Area, the most populated region in the country, and as a result it was effectively a de facto second-level league between 1896–97 and 1964–65.
As part of this reorganisation, a promotion and relegation system involving the top two national divisions was introduced for the first time.
Following the demise of the A Championship, the provincial leagues regained their third level status.
[6] Being members of a league at a particular level also affects eligibility for Cup, or single-elimination, competitions.
In 2015, Cabinteely of the Leinster Senior League became the most recent team to accept an invite.
[7] This is expected to include various current intermediate clubs, as well as reserve sides of League of Ireland clubs and new entities similar to Kerry F.C.. Level one in the pyramid, the top division of Irish football, is run by the League of Ireland Premier Division (which gives its name to the competition in that division), the winners of which are regarded as the champions of the Republic of Ireland.