Attendances 2025

[EalingGreen]

Even without the old firm, the attendances in the spl are incredible, Dundee has a population about half the size of the cork metro region and it's 2 clubs combined are averaging around 17500 this season, Aberdeen 17800 and the Edinburgh clubs combined over 35000. Celtic 59000, Rangers 48000, absolutely fantastic for a country of 5 .5 million.Agree entirely.

Mustn't be much else to do in Scotland, mind. :cool:

[EatYerGreens]

Even without the old firm, the attendances in the spl are incredible, Dundee has a population about half the size of the cork metro region and it's 2 clubs combined are averaging around 17500 this season, Aberdeen 17800 and the Edinburgh clubs combined over 35000. Celtic 59000, Rangers 48000, absolutely fantastic for a country of 5 .5 million.

I have huge respect for anyone who follows a Scottish club outside of the Old Firm. Unless they're older than 50 they wont have seen (and remembered) their club win the Scottish top division, and they know they almost certainly won't for the rest of their lives either. Even Hearts haven't won the top tier in 65yrs :eek: The best that fans of 'the other' Scottish clubs can hope for is to win either the cup or league cup once or twice in their lifetimes. Yet still they turn out in big numbers to watch teams who are guaranteed to be also-rans.

I know some will say that English football is like that too. Bit it isn't dominated utterly by only 2 teams ; there are still freak exceptions like Leicester City ; and no-one in Scotland except the Old Firm has won their league in 41years and counting. So it has a couple of generations head start on Europe's other leagues which are slowly becoming strangled by just a few clubs.

[oriel]

Dundalk v Malahide last night, nothing official but a few have said 800.

[thebronze14]

Bohs posted their 6-4 Morton stadium match earlier... Was watching and thinking about how shocking the crowd was. Was there even 1k at it? Funny the lack of police and security by the look of it. Was there less of the silly off the pitch stuff then?

[EatYerGreens]

Bohs posted their 6-4 Morton stadium match earlier... Was watching and thinking about how shocking the crowd was. Was there even 1k at it? Funny the lack of police and security by the look of it. Was there less of the silly off the pitch stuff then?

When did Bohs-Rovers start becoming a thing? I don't remember it being a big deal back in the 80s. It seems to have really kicked-in since Rovers moved to Tallaght ?

[Shinkicker]

Bohs posted their 6-4 Morton stadium match earlier... Was watching and thinking about how shocking the crowd was. Was there even 1k at it? Funny the lack of police and security by the look of it. Was there less of the silly off the pitch stuff then?

That was 2000/2001 or maybe a year later. Crowds have improved greatly since then I would say if that game was on today Bohs would fill that entire terrace the camera was facing. A great game on a pi33 poor pitch. We need games like that in the league today, plenty of bite, boot and boll@#k. The game played with passion and desire. Sometimes I would like to go back to those days but I think we are doing ok today.

[Jamesie]

When did Bohs-Rovers start becoming a thing? I don't remember it being a big deal back in the 80s. It seems to have really kicked-in since Rovers moved to Tallaght ?

My first derby was cup game in 1976...15000 in Dalymount in a time if declining crowds. Bohs crowds increased early 90s and there were some great matches then. So I'd say certainly since the 70s its been the big one for both clubs

[EatYerGreens]

My first derby was cup game in 1976...15000 in Dalymount in a time if declining crowds. Bohs crowds increased early 90s and there were some great matches then. So I'd say certainly since the 70s its been the big one for both clubs

So presumably it filled the north-south void after Drumcondra dropped out in 1972 and Rovers needed a new grudge rival? I still don't recall good crowds at Bohs game in the 80s, which was a barren spell for them trophies-wise.

[thebronze14]

That was 2000/2001 or maybe a year later. Crowds have improved greatly since then I would say if that game was on today Bohs would fill that entire terrace the camera was facing. A great game on a pi33 poor pitch. We need games like that in the league today, plenty of bite, boot and boll@#k. The game played with passion and desire. Sometimes I would like to go back to those days but I think we are doing ok today.

Ah it looked like pure entertainment alright....They would more than fill that and then some

[1983Hoop]

When did Bohs-Rovers start becoming a thing? I don't remember it being a big deal back in the 80s. It seems to have really kicked-in since Rovers moved to Tallaght ?

Rivalry started probably around the late 70’s. There were some big games in the 80’s through to the Tallaght era. I remember the Leinster Cup final around 1991 where there was more action off the pitch than on it. Also the 1994 fai cup games where it went to a second replay. The first game in Dalymount had around 12k and the first replay around 7k on a Wednesday afternoon at the RDS.

[Martinho II]

That was 2000/2001 or maybe a year later. Crowds have improved greatly since then I would say if that game was on today Bohs would fill that entire terrace the camera was facing. A great game on a pi33 poor pitch. We need games like that in the league today, plenty of bite, boot and boll@#k. The game played with passion and desire. Sometimes I would like to go back to those days but I think we are doing ok today.

That was definitely 00/01 season as I remember watchin that 6-4 classic on RTE highlights at the time.

[Shinkicker]

That was definitely 00/01 season as I remember watchin that 6-4 classic on RTE highlights at the time.
Ahh when we had highlights of Irish football in Ireland

[Jamesie]

So presumably it filled the north-south void after Drumcondra dropped out in 1972 and Rovers needed a new grudge rival? I still don't recall good crowds at Bohs game in the 80s, which was a barren spell for them trophies-wise.
Yes Drums gap got filled alright...80s was 2 cup finals and 3 league runners up but no trophies and crowds went down badly alright
.

[placid casual]

Pretty sure it's been discussed here before, but most Rovers fans of a senior vintage have told me it started late 70's when football hooliganism was rife in LOI( to mirror english leagues), and every Rovers away game was like a derby in teams of "passion" on both sides.
Rovers plundered some great players from boez in the early 80's and enjoyed great success and the rivalry became more pronounced from there I guess.
Managed to avoid the 4:6 in the santrysiro as I was stuck in bed with glandular fever at the time, but all around that time in santry was a pretty grim time for Rovers anyway. It makes the last number of years so more enjoyable - swings and roundabouts my friends :)

[EatYerGreens]

Pretty sure it's been discussed here before, but most Rovers fans of a senior vintage have told me it started late 70's when football hooliganism was rife in LOI( to mirror english leagues), and every Rovers away game was like a derby in teams of "passion" on both sides.
Rovers plundered some great players from boez in the early 80's and enjoyed great success and the rivalry became more pronounced from there I guess.
Managed to avoid the 4:6 in the santrysiro as I was stuck in bed with glandular fever at the time, but all around that time in santry was a pretty grim time for Rovers anyway. It makes the last number of years so more enjoyable - swings and roundabouts my friends :)

Were there enough fans at all the clubs in the 70s to have hooligans amongst them?

[2 Year Contract]

Were there enough fans at all the clubs in the 70s to have hooligans amongst them?

There’s an interesting article here on the topic

https://comeheretome.com/2013/01/16/some-examples-of-football-violence-in-richmond-park-inchicore-1972-1986/

[WeAreRovers]

Were there enough fans at all the clubs in the 70s to have hooligans amongst them?

It was way worse back then, at least to my memory of the 80s. Way worse.

I remember some hairy away days with Rovers in Limerick and Waterford among other places. Hordes of Sligo fans attacking Bohs at the 1982 Cup Final as my dad shielded me on the reserved terrace in Dalymount also as strong memory.

Pats v Waterford 1986 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvMsD9B3A6k

Good read here from a Pats POV - https://comeheretome.com/2013/01/16/some-examples-of-football-violence-in-richmond-park-inchicore-1972-1986/

[Glen Of Aherlow]

i remember back in the early 80's being at a game with my father , between Athlone Town and Rovers in St. Mels Park and there were running battles outside after

[WeAreRovers]

My dad was from Athlone so I spent plenty of time in Mels back in the 80s, another another rough ground back then.

[Jamesie]

It was way worse back then, at least to my memory of the 80s. Way worse.

I remember some hairy away days with Rovers in Limerick and Waterford among other places. Hordes of Sligo fans attacking Bohs at the 1982 Cup Final as my dad shielded me on the reserved terrace in Dalymount also as strong memory.

Pats v Waterford 1986 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvMsD9B3A6k

Good read here from a Pats POV - https://comeheretome.com/2013/01/16/some-examples-of-football-violence-in-richmond-park-inchicore-1972-1986/

That Sligo cup was 83 but it was very hairy as a Bohs fan outnumbered and sent packing out if the shed. Not a Garda in sight. It's total cotton wool these days by comparison

[WeAreRovers]

Indeed, it was 1983, my first Cup Final, Sligo chasing Bohs out of the Shed onto the reserved terrace. I was equal parts terrified and enthralled!

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Good times (although I was in the main stand away from the trouble and more importantly dry)

[redarmyfaction]

That Sligo cup was 83 but it was very hairy as a Bohs fan outnumbered and sent packing out if the shed. Not a Garda in sight. It's total cotton wool these days by comparison

Shows how poorly Bohs were supported back then that they were chased out of their end in their own ground at a cup final no less, we only went into the shed too try and get dry TBH.

[Shinkicker]

An article in a paper today, saying ticket sales for Bohs v Rover are over 20,000 and the FAI open to other League games being played there. Not a bad idea, bringing a big game experience to people who can't afford to go to England and also an opportunity to gain new fans of LOI football.

[Calcio Jack]

Pretty sure it's been discussed here before, but most Rovers fans of a senior vintage have told me it started late 70's when football hooliganism was rife in LOI( to mirror english leagues), and every Rovers away game was like a derby in teams of "passion" on both sides.
Rovers plundered some great players from boez in the early 80's and enjoyed great success and the rivalry became more pronounced from there I guess.
Managed to avoid the 4:6 in the santrysiro as I was stuck in bed with glandular fever at the time, but all around that time in santry was a pretty grim time for Rovers anyway. It makes the last number of years so more enjoyable - swings and roundabouts my friends :)

My own lived memory is that post circa 1969 when Bohs turned professional the ‘passion’/rivalry with us escalated- the reason being that up until then Bohs being amateurs never posed much opposition to us (unlike Drums or Shels down the previous years).

I can still remember the early 1970s and the feral rabid atmosphere emanating from the main stand and how those in the stand seemed to literally hate us and their ott ‘excitement’ when they beat us due to their inferiority complex having suffered years of regular defeats to us (plus ca change etc.)

[sbgawa]

20000 sales this far out isnt bad.
The cup final crowd are paying significantly less for the tickets so if it edges up to 25000 i thik that would be pretty decent

[Dalymountrower]

My memory of the 70's rivalry is Bohs routinely beating Rovers and their fans reacting accordingly.
Bohs won 2 league titles in the seventies,Rovers , on the other hand ,won zero titles.One FAI cup each.
I get a sense that there is less animosity now between both sets of fans.
Hopefully everyone behaves in and around the Aviva, as there are many in the mediathat are praying for mayhem

[2 Year Contract]

20000 sales this far out isnt bad.
The cup final crowd are paying significantly less for the tickets so if it edges up to 25000 i thik that would be pretty decent

Adult tickets for the cup final were €25, or €35 for premium, while this match is €25 or €30 (area dependant) and €35 premium. Cup final tickets costing significantly less is a stretch

[Calcio Jack]

My memory of the 70's rivalry is Bohs routinely beating Rovers and their fans reacting accordingly.
Bohs won 2 league titles in the seventies,Rovers , on the other hand ,won zero titles.One FAI cup each.
I get a sense that there is less animosity now between both sets of fans.
Hopefully everyone behaves in and around the Aviva, as there are many in the mediathat are praying for mayhem

That’s a very good summary … oh how me and my mates ‘hated’ Turnips O’Connor as he always seemed to score against us in Dayler… also the early to mid 70s was a dreadful time to follow Rovers as crowds declined dramatically and the team as well , culminating in us finishing last and having to seek re- election circa 1975

[sbgawa]

Adult tickets for the cup final were €25, or €35 for premium, while this match is €25 or €30 (area dependant) and €35 premium. Cup final tickets costing significantly less is a stretch

fair point i actually remembered them as being €20 for the cup final, my mistake

[nr637]

What particular LOI Club's current grounds through funding could add or improve existing areas that would increase their capacity and help increase their home attendance!

I'm just talking about immediate additions and not major structural work.

Clubs like Shels, St. Pats & Drogheda have added extra terracing to increase the space available. Small modifications, but may help to add a few hundred more fans to the attendance figure, it all helps!

I was thinking of a club like Sligo Rovers Showgrounds adding cover to the popular Railway End.

Dundalk Oriel Park adding maybe covered terracing to the Town End.

Anyone care to add their suggestions on possible some minor or obvious improvements!

[Shinkicker]

Just watched a clip of Glentoran v Winfield last night, supporter standing on a grassy bank and Bohs can't get people on the terrace behind the goal at the shopping center end????

[Shinkicker]

Just watched a clip of Glentoran v Winfield last night, supporter standing on a grassy bank and Bohs can't get people on the terrace behind the goal at the shopping center end????
Linfield

[EalingGreen]

Just watched a clip of Glentoran v Winfield last night, supporter standing on a grassy bank and Bohs can't get people on the terrace behind the goal at the shopping center end????True, but it's not as if any fans have to stand there because eg everywhere else is packed.

Due to H&S/Council Licensing, afaik capacity is limited to just over 6k. (The limit is largely to do with turnstiles/access/egress etc, as the Glens won't spend anything beyond the bare minimum necessary on remedial work when the whole place will be rebuilt anyhow. Sometime. Maybe.)

As you will know, the stadium could easily hold many more (safely enough imo), but I guess the Authorities just won't take chances, esp when you only get 3k+ for a very few games each season.

[nr637]

I suppose H&S regulations now play a huge issue for any update or modification to stadiums, especially small grounds. Exits, space & safety are huge concerns now. That then adds towards costs. Clubs have to consider if an extra few hundred spaces are worth the running costs involved as against a complete new stand structure like Derry City have added.

[ForeForeToo]

It won't break 20k

Expertly predicted.

[outspoken]

Expertly predicted.

Delighted I'm wrong.

[EatYerGreens]

Should hopefully get up to a crowd of 25,000 or so in the end.

Will walk-ups be possible on the day (i.e. will tickets still be sold online right up until KO) ?

[nr637]

Munster Cup, Quarter Final,Cobh Ramblers 2 v Cork City 1, Att:1,500.

[CorribsideSteve]

RTE Sport on their website are giving 4584 for the President's Cup

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

RTE Sport on their website are giving 4584 for the President's Cup

Didn’t think Tolka could take that many these days

[2 Year Contract]

Didn’t think Tolka could take that many these days
It holds 5,750 according to Shels in April of last year, though I don’t think it’s ever reached that capacity since maybe the early 00's

https://shelbournefc.ie/update-tolka-park-upgrade-works/

[nigel-harps1954]

4,755 were capacity crowds last season.

[2 Year Contract]

4,755 were capacity crowds last season.
Yeah I’m not sure where the discrepancy in the capacity figure that the club quoted in that article comes from. Pretty sizeable at 1000 more, might just have been a typo though

[FTA-1895]

I think that 5,750 must be a typo and should have been 4,750 as the games we sold out last season had around that number. That figure will have increased again though as the away section is now back to 1,000

[BonnieShels]

That is not the point of having the match in the Aviva. The plan is to try and maximise the attendance (and match revenue) via the support bases of the 2 clubs and maybe the wider LOI. Johnny Barstooler is never going to attend this match, even if it was on in his back garden. 25k is nearly 6 times what you would get into Dalymount and if we ain’t happy with that for a Dublin Derby, then we’ll never be happy with anything.

I think that this is the point that is missing in all of this when it was discussed, and you've made it perfectly.

25/30k turning up is multiples of what could ever have gone at Dalyer or Tallaght. Sell-out was never the goal.

[BonnieShels]

RTE Sport on their website are giving 4584 for the President's Cup


Didn’t think Tolka could take that many these days


It holds 5,750 according to Shels in April of last year, though I don’t think it’s ever reached that capacity since maybe the early 00's

https://shelbournefc.ie/update-tolka-park-upgrade-works/


4,755 were capacity crowds last season.

All of that is sans New/West Stand too.

That said, having been there in every guise and crowd level of the stadium since 2007, last night was by far the most uncomfortable I have ever been in Tolka.

While the new steps into the Richmond Road Stand sections have improved access and egress locally, they have absolutely created bottle-necks walking to and from the stand to the Drumcondra End.

It's great in a sense, because of the increased attendances, but it's something we need to get a hold of; I'm dreading Shams at home now in a few weeks.

[redobit]

Just reading an article that says the GAA had a 10% decrease in attendances in 2024. The attendances were down in both the hurling and football. A few different, mainly on field stuff, given as the reasons for the fall off. The LOI Premier has a 22% increase in 2023 and another 6% increase again in 2024. It would be interesting to know if these are directly affected. Of course the gah would never admit it anyway but watch this space I guess.

[BigEars]

Just reading an article that says the GAA had a 10% decrease in attendances in 2024. The attendances were down in both the hurling and football. A few different, mainly on field stuff, given as the reasons for the fall off. The LOI Premier has a 22% increase in 2023 and another 6% increase again in 2024. It would be interesting to know if these are directly affected. Of course the gah would never admit it anyway but watch this space I guess.

I imagine they're entirely unrelated.
The GAA has implemented a new Championship structure which removes all jeopardy from the last 16 of the All-Ireland, while also making Provincial matches less important.

It's a change entirely of their own making.
The growth in LOI will be independent of this with only marginal crossover.

[EatYerGreens]

RTE Sport on their website are giving 4584 for the President's Cup

Did it sell out? I saw they were still pushing the availability of tickets a day or 2 in advance anyway.