Attendances 2022

[Shinkicker]

Not sure if you’re missing any of these

https://www.sseairtricityleague.ie/news/top-ten-attendances-in-the-2022-season-so-far-/id-4118
It seems from this the Dublin clubs are the attraction, with the exception being Cork. You have to note, first home game of the season is always a crowd puler as are Dublin derbies. Curious to see will numbers fall if results aren't good or likewise Sligo going well will their numbers go up and get them in the attendance rankings??

[D24Saint]

Our crowd tonight will show where we are really at. A Monday game with no large away support. If it’s 2300-2500 I’d be delighted and would represent progress. Anything under two thousand I’d be disappointed.

[Straightstory]

I see Future Ticketing are handling online sales for Drogheda. Trying to but ticket for Drogs v Dundalk and it's not proving possible. Very frustrating. What are other people's experiences like with them?

[Glen Of Aherlow]

D24 , I'm in Mullingar and was dodgy about going given it's a Monday night and given the opposition but you've just guilted me into going

[JC_GUFC]

I see Future Ticketing are handling online sales for Drogheda. Trying to but ticket for Drogs v Dundalk and it's not proving possible. Very frustrating. What are other people's experiences like with them?

There seem to be a number of clubs having issues with them website freezing etc. I think for Bohs v Shels tonight the away fans have had a tough time buying tickets too.

[EatYerGreens]

It seems from this the Dublin clubs are the attraction, with the exception being Cork. You have to note, first home game of the season is always a crowd puler as are Dublin derbies. Curious to see will numbers fall if results aren't good or likewise Sligo going well will their numbers go up and get them in the attendance rankings??

I suspect the common denominator in those figures also includes capacity. There will be some clubs who could sell more tickets if they could physically hold more.

[PartySaint]

Our crowd tonight will show where we are really at. A Monday game with no large away support. If it’s 2300-2500 I’d be delighted and would represent progress. Anything under two thousand I’d be disappointed.

If we get a crowd of 2,500 at home to UCD on a Monday night the good times are well and truly back.

[sidewayspasser]

Not sure if you’re missing any of these

https://www.sseairtricityleague.ie/news/top-ten-attendances-in-the-2022-season-so-far-/id-4118
If the FAI have all the official figures, why don't they publish them all?

[nr637]

If we get a crowd of 2,500 at home to UCD on a Monday night the good times are well and truly back.

Cork City fans are thinking exactly the same, if we get a crowd of 2,500 at home to Waterford on a Monday night the good times are well and truly back. And they are in the First Division! :rolleyes:

[El-Pietro]

Really good away crowd from Waterford. 500 maybe? A little more?

[patrickccfc]

3,012 at the cross. Fantastic.

[El-Pietro]

I'm gonna revise the Waterford crowd up. Maybe 700. Really impressive

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

If the FAI have all the official figures, why don't they publish them all?

And what would we argue about if they did?

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

2,634 in The Showgrounds

[pineapple stu]

Talking to a Pat's fan on the way out tonight and both of us reckoned 2500-3000 in Richmond

[pateen]

That's a great crowd for a Monday night. Nice 3 points as well

[D24Saint]

Talking to a Pat's fan on the way out tonight and both of us reckoned 2500-3000 in Richmond

It certainly looked around 2500 at least. It’s one of the best Monday crowds I can remember in recent years.

[Jd2793]

real shame cork waterford wasnt a friday game easily hits 5k+ . great travelling support.

[oriel]

3,546 at Dundalk v Rovers, very good away crowd up to be fair.

https://twitter.com/DundalkFC/status/1503476574125015052?s=20&t=1ZyidZz7qoQ6cRwpuExHbQ

[Jack B]

Some encouraging numbers tonight. Expected a lot worse for a Monday game vs UCD in Richmond than we got.

[nr637]

I'm gonna revise the Waterford crowd up. Maybe 700. Really impressive

3,712 at the cross. Fantastic.

[El-Pietro]

3,712 at the cross. Fantastic.


No. 3,012 at the Cross, of which about 700 were Waterford fans. They filled an entire block of the St. Annes

[pateen]

Jesus that's seriously impressive from Waterford. That hasn't been done in yonks, never mind a Monday night

[TonyD]

Crowd numbers have been great so far this season. No way a Monday night game v UCD would have attracted anything like that crowd to Richmond a few years ago. And it seems to be the same story everywhere. What are people putting down to ? Post COVID bounce, or is there something deeper going on here ?

[PartySaint]

Crowd numbers have been great so far this season. No way a Monday night game v UCD would have attracted anything like that crowd to Richmond a few years ago. And it seems to be the same story everywhere. What are people putting down to ? Post COVID bounce, or is there something deeper going on here ?

I think there's a number of different factors in it.

- Clubs getting better with community engagement
- Post COVID
- People disillusioned with the Premier league (VAR, Super League etc)
- Social media has put a massive spotlight on the league leading to more mainstream traditional media covering it much better
- Really good young players

[El-Pietro]

Jesus that's seriously impressive from Waterford. That hasn't been done in yonks, never mind a Monday night

Yeah I was shocked. I've been surprised by how good the crowds have been every week so far. The only teams I can remember bringing larger groups than Waterford had last night in recent years are Bohs and Rovers. I vaguely remember a really good Limerick crowd one year but don't think it was as large as Waterford last night.

As for why crowds have been so good? I have to think post Covid is a massive factor, cos we aren't doing any major publicity work, and its not like we have ahuge season ticket number this year. Its decent but not enough to explain the crowds so far. I'm going to keep expecting crowds to come down as we settle into the rhythm of things, though performances (and results) like last night won't hurt.

[D24Saint]

I think there's a number of different factors in it.

- Clubs getting better with community engagement
- Post COVID
- People disillusioned with the Premier league (VAR, Super League etc)
- Social media has put a massive spotlight on the league leading to more mainstream traditional media covering it much better
- Really good young players

scrambling to get away tickets is a new one to deal with. We are only getting 300 for Friday.

[Nesta99]

Ive always felt that crowds could snowball if they were big enough and created a good atmosphere - people wuld come back for more with the big matchday feel. But something needed to happen that would trigger a type of perfect storm where it wasnt just success based surge, one off cup ties etc. I do think the novelty will wear off and averages drop but some newer fans will stick so overall averages will settle at a higher level than pre 2020. By how much will depend on things the football. It's a real opportunity for clubs and the league - getting people to games is a lot harder than stopping them drift away and where you can make yer pitch for all sorts of things eg merch, membership, kids initiatives, family days. Just imagine if clubs across the league had facilities or there were in the pipeline for real to add to the momentum and experience.

[EatYerGreens]

Ive always felt that crowds could snowball if they were big enough and created a good atmosphere - people wuld come back for more with the big matchday feel. But something needed to happen that would trigger a type of perfect storm where it wasnt just success based surge, one off cup ties etc. I do think the novelty will wear off and averages drop but some newer fans will stick so overall averages will settle at a higher level than pre 2020. By how much will depend on things the football. It's a real opportunity for clubs and the league - getting people to games is a lot harder than stopping them drift away and where you can make yer pitch for all sorts of things eg merch, membership, kids initiatives, family days. Just imagine if clubs across the league had facilities or there were in the pipeline for real to add to the momentum and experience.

Capacity constraints at every club bar Rovers and Cork makes any snowball diffiuclt to achieve though. We're stunting the league's development and turning away people who could feasibly turn into committed fams. It's a significant issue.

[placid casual]

I understand where you are coming from, but part of me thinks that it's actually a positive thing if people can't get tickets to clubs, as it creates a thirst for them to follow the team more closely (LOI TV, media coverage etc) in the hope that they do get one.
Irish people's sports bandwagons traits are legendary, and LOI can have a bandwagon of its own if it works to get everyone onto the actual wagon eventually... If you know what I mean.

[pineapple stu]

Bit of both words I think.

There's definitely an element that not being able to get a ticket for a game is going to generate interest.

But an awful lot of LoI grounds are dumps that have been neglected for way too long. That won't be a quick fix, so it has the potential to hold things back.

[EatYerGreens]

I understand where you are coming from, but part of me thinks that it's actually a positive thing if people can't get tickets to clubs, as it creates a thirst for them to follow the team more closely (LOI TV, media coverage etc) in the hope that they do get one.
Irish people's sports bandwagons traits are legendary, and LOI can have a bandwagon of its own if it works to get everyone onto the actual wagon eventually... If you know what I mean.

I think you're over-estimating the draw of the LOI.

There will be people who have never previously shown any or much interest in the league. If their interest gets tweaked but they find they can't get to games, they'll go do something else instead. They can get saturation coverage of English or Scottish football. They can do social activiites that a lot of people let slide a bit during Covid etc etc. Their interest will inevitably wain a bit. The current boom in interest in the league may well not be sustained. You ned to let people experience your product when they want to. There is no sensible marketing strategy which sees a virtue in people not being able to trial your offering (the 'rarity value' exception only works if you can price accordingly).

[GUFCghost]

I think the youth leagues could be another reason behind the increased crowds. At Galway United's U15s final a few months back, there were about 300 Galway supporters who started chanting "Galway! Galway!" not a chant you'd hear in Deacy Park. I also know of a group from Annaghdown that started supporting the club when Alex Murphy started making appearances for the senior team. If each club has gained just a 100 supporters via their youth teams, that's a pretty significant boost across the league. And I haven't even mentioned the fact that having proper academies raises the standard of the league

[Candystripe]

Derry city v Drogeda sold out. Looked to be 200 empty seats at the away section but loads standing behind seats in the Southend stand and either side of the Mark Farren stand.
Est, 3,300

[Glen Of Aherlow]

Out of curiosity , was there an attendance figure given for Pats v UCD the other night ?

[PartySaint]

scrambling to get away tickets is a new one to deal with. We are only getting 300 for Friday.

That would have been more than plenty in years gone by but less than 100 tickets left going on general sale today, another away end sold out this season, that's 4 of 5 now.

[JC_GUFC]

1355 the official attendance at Galway United v Treaty on Monday night.

With what look like a couple of easier away games coming up we could be top of the league when we next play at home. It would be interesting to see the crowd for that if we are.

[EatYerGreens]

1355 the official attendance at Galway United v Treaty on Monday night.

With what look like a couple of easier away games coming up we could be top of the league when we next play at home. It would be interesting to see the crowd for that if we are.

Some really good crowds in the First at the moment.

[El-Pietro]

Didn't hear an official attendance at Markets Field. Maybe 1,000-1,200. About 300 City fans.

[pineapple stu]

About 1600 in the Bowl. Stand is full and terrace is open with another few there

[nigel-harps1954]

1,451 given at UCD according to the LOITV stream.

[joey B]

Stand holds 1500 and is full and there’s a good few on the embankment and behind the goal,1700 I’d have guessed….

[Nesta99]

1,451 given at UCD according to the LOITV stream.

UCD not used to counting home fans so forgot to add them in.

[nigel-harps1954]

1,240 at Cobh v Bray

[nigel-harps1954]

Still missing a heap of official attendance figures if anyone can fill in gaps:

First Division

14/03 - Athlone v Cobh
18/03 - Athlone v Galway

18/02 - Bray v Cork (1,200 est given)
11/03 - Bray v Galway (400 est given)

14/03 - Longford v Bray

18/03 - Treaty v Cork (1,200 est given)

18/03 - Wexford v Longford

Premier Division

14/03 - Bohs v Shels

All of Derrys games are estimated figures.

18/03 - Drogheda v Dundalk

14/03 - Pats v UCD

04/03 - Shels v Derry (3,000 est given)
11/03 - Shels v Dundalk (2,500 est given)
18/03 - Shels v Harps

25/02 - UCD v Harps (750 est given)
28/02 - UCD v Shels (1,400 est given)

[nigel-harps1954]

Welcome back to Nigels happy place. Taking previous attendance averages from 2019 back, seeing as there was no full season counts done since. Welcome Treaty United to attendance tables for the first time.

Missing a few, as above, a couple of estimates, as above, but getting there.

PREMIER DIVISION

Bohs - 3,343 (2,878 {2019}; 2,148; 2,006; 1,627; 1,724; 1,395; 1,597; 1,496; 1,488)
Derry - 3,009 (2,878; 2,297; 1,517; 1,563; 1,124; 1,106; 1,446; 1,460; 2,135)
Drogheda - 1,599 (928 FD; 377 FD; 850; 583 FD; 813; 1,064; 817; 977; 811)
Dundalk - 3,274 (2,775; 2,738; 2,674; 2,738; 3,158; 2,534; 1,997; 949; 1,355)
Harps - 1,810 (1,153; 708 FD; 1,202; 1,216; 784 FD; 449 FD; 479 FD; 429 FD; 433 FD; 644 FD)
Pat's - 4,401 (1,887; 1,621; 1,504; 1,088; 1,321; 1,386; 1,687; 1,474; 1,346)
Rovers - 5,318 (3,445; 2,749; 2,809; 2,041; 2,890; 2,269; 2,763; 3,127; 3,779)
Shels - 3,246 (1,075 FD; 654 FD; 496 FD; 554 FD; 596 FD; 713 FD; 1,114; 1,187; 781 FD)
Sligo - 2,946 (1,995; 1,853; 1,717; 1,750; 1,750; 1,959; 2,342; 3,007; 2,103)
UCD - 1,200 (735; 365 FD; 236 FD; 297 FD; 216 FD; 397; 487; 506; 558; 610)

FIRST DIVISION

Athlone - 397 (369; 130; 154; 156; 314; 653 PD; 754; 271; 200)
Bray - 800 (798; 643 PD; 966 PD; 957 PD; 769 PD; 718 PD; 891 PD; 965 PD; 1,121 PD)
Cobh - 939 (280; 236; 358; 403; 366; 223; 439; 2008 - 1,122 PD; 681)
Cork - 4,079 (2,505 PD; 4,245 PD; 4,559 PD; 2,533 PD; 3,263 PD; 3,777 PD; 1,965 PD; 2,786 PD; 2,128)
Galway - 2,190 (795; 746; 1,376 PD; 1,169 PD; 1,290 PD; 975)
Longford - 626 (611; 449; 342; 488 PD; 803 PD; 567; 379; 365; 315)
Treaty - 1,200 (Not Limerick FC)
Waterford - 2,124 (1,597 PD; 2,329 PD; 1,550; 314; 460; 470; 478; 453; 466)
Wexford - 368 (235; 181; 338; 585 PD; 553; 331; 227; 302; 216)

PREMIER AVERAGE: 3,090 (2,185; 2,170; 1,902; 1,476; 1,681; 1,502; 1,566; 1,630; 1,547)
FIRST DIVISION AVERAGE: 1,661 (586; 413; 477; 476; 486; 495; 391; 372; 578)

OVERALL AVERAGE: 2,562 (1,500; 1,249; 1,387; 1,117; 1,249; 1,160; 1,140; 1,125; 1,110)


OVERALL PREMIER ATTENDANCE: 89,604 (393,238; 316,515; 376,627; 292,204; 332,805; 297,334)
OVERALL FIRST ATTENDANCE: 28,240 (79,115; 55,756; 53,461; 52,807; 54,474; 55,408)

OVERALL COMBINED ATTENDANCE: 117,844 (472,353; 372,271; 430,088; 345,011; 387,279; 352,742)

[Candystripe]

Derry city definitely had over capacity tonight, 4k plus.

[Calcio Jack]

4,513 in Tallaght last night

[Candystripe]

Match day vlog from a Coleraine fan.

https://youtu.be/Cza3ArRZuDA

[ToberonaTornado]

2500 at Drogs v Dundalk last night ..... i'd guess? Dundalk had about 800 up.

Amazing that Drawda produced an attendance figure for the free in game v UCD but are shy every other time ��