National League: Shelbourne will kick off the defence of their eircom League title on March 19th with a home game against newly promoted UCD it was announced over the weekend as club representatives gather in Cork for the organisation's annual general meeting.
The game is one of two in the capital on the opening night of the new campaign with Bohemians taking on Roddy Collins's Shamrock Rovers.
Negotiations between the FAI and three broadcasters - RTÉ, Setanta and TG4 - on coverage of the league are said to be close to a conclusion and it is expected that one of the opening night's games, probably the one at Dalymount, will be broadcast live.
In the night's other matches St Patrick's Athletic travel to Bray and Drogheda United will host Derry City in the opening game of what could be a good season for Paul Doolin's side. Waterford travel to Longford the following night while Cork City face the long trek to Finn Park on the same evening.
At the league's management committee meeting on Saturday it was confirmed that the FAI has decided to push the cup final back into December so as to ensure that it is once again the last game of the season.
The game is now likely to take place on December 4th at Lansdowne Road.
"The cup final was always the grand finale to the season and I'm glad that it will be once again," said the association's president Milo Corcoran.
Earlier in the day Paddy McCaul was confirmed as the league's chairman while Michael Hyland, Charlie Cahill and former Opel chief executive Arnold O'Byrne were elected to serve on the FAI's disciplinary commission for the coming season.
An e.g.m. will take place on March 14th at which a number of rule changes and the new format of the League Cup will be discussed.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)