Soccer

League of Ireland attendances up by 20 per cent as nearly 1 million attend domestic matches in 2023

‘Demand highlights the need we have for improved infrastructure and stadia’ says league director Mark Scanlon

League of Ireland attendances once again increased this year. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
League of Ireland attendances once again increased this year. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Fri Nov 24 2023 - 11:53

League of Ireland attendances rose by 20 per cent this year, with over 135,000 more people attending domestic matches across all the divisions of the competition, organisers have announced.

In the Premier Division, in-ground attendance rose by 22.4 per cent as over half-a-million people attended top flight matches in 2023. 596,196 fans entered through the turnstiles compared to 486,365 last year as the average attendance also rose from 2,687 to 3,294 this year.

Taking all three League of Ireland divisions combined, 935,415 fans attended domestic football matches in 2023. 826,086 came at league games - an increase of 20 per cent - with the remainder watching the men’s and women’s FAI Cups, the All-Island Cup and the President’s Cups.

Eight men’s Premier Division clubs saw their average attendance rise in 2023. Bohemians had the highest top flight increase of 32 per cent, closely followed by Drogheda United at 31 per cent and St Patrick’s Athletic at 21 per cent.

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Across the Premier and First Divisions, 44 league matches in total were sold out. The largest attendance of the League of Ireland season was at Tallaght Stadium where 8,021 saw Shamrock Rovers lift the men’s Premier Division title.

In the First Division, 18,050 more people attended matches compared to 2022, leaving a total attendance of 196,050. Athlone Town recorded an increase of 184 per cent on its average attendance this year rising from 307 to 872. Six clubs in the division saw increases.

Chloe Moloney of Peamount United celebrates winning the women's Premier Division. Photograph: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Chloe Moloney of Peamount United celebrates winning the women's Premier Division. Photograph: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

In the same year that Ireland qualified for a first Women’s World Cup, nearly 10,000 more fans took in live Women’s Premier Division action as the total attendance rose from 23,907 to 33,84. The average attendance increased from 196 to 308, a rise of 57 per cent. The biggest individual attendance at a women’s league match this year as when 1,464 people went to Tallaght Stadium to see Shamrock Rovers take on title-winners Peamount United.

These figures are in addition to the men’s and women’s FAI Cup Finals which had crowds of 43,881 and 3,526, St. Patrick’s Athletic’s win over Bohemians in the Aviva Stadium saw the competition’s highest ever attendance.

League of Ireland director, Mark Scanlon, used the increased attendance figures as evidence of the need for further investment in the league’s infrastructure. “Though we are pleased to see the demand continue to rise, it once more highlights the need we have for improved infrastructure and stadia across the League of Ireland in order for cubs to continue to cater for demand,” he said.

“With the highest attendances in the men’s and women’s Premier Divisions in Tallaght Stadium, it further emphasises that good stadia can help attract even more fans to the League of Ireland which is experiencing unprecedented demand as shown by the men’s FAI Cup Final this year.

“As clubs continue to grow and develop, you can see the hard work that they continue to do every day is reaping the rewards through the attendances rising at such a high rate. Work is already well underway for 2024 as we look forward to a League of Ireland season which can reach even more people across the country.”