Attendances 2025

[Buckett]

Has there been any improvements made to Mounthawk Park? They were allocated money recently

[Zico]

FAI connect has updated Kerry attendance to 810 now. The stand was sold out yesterday morning, but still lots of empty seats - presumably no shows as well as people having tickets for the stand but going to the terrace where the views are less obstructed.

I don’t believe there have been any improvements yet as a result of recent grant - it’s mainly for upgrade of Astro apparently, so assume that will be done next season.

It will be interesting to see over the next 12-18 months what further ground improvements will be done, one would assume some of the recent investment will be set aside for ground, but obviously complicated as not owned by the club.

[culloty82]

TBF, that's why Sean O'Keeffe is double-jobbing with both the KDL and Kerry FC, so that the ground maintenance and improvement is done to the satisfaction of both parties, which isn't easy when the complex has to cater for First Division, LOI Academy games, and matches in the various KDL divisions in any given weekend, so finding a window for such work to be done is far from straightforward, to say the least!

[Glen Of Aherlow]

Great , we can be just like the rugby

[culloty82]

FAI connect has updated Kerry attendance to 810 now. The stand was sold out yesterday morning, but still lots of empty seats - presumably no shows as well as people having tickets for the stand but going to the terrace where the views are less obstructed.

I don’t believe there have been any improvements yet as a result of recent grant - it’s mainly for upgrade of Astro apparently, so assume that will be done next season.

It will be interesting to see over the next 12-18 months what further ground improvements will be done, one would assume some of the recent investment will be set aside for ground, but obviously complicated as not owned by the club.

Seems that revised 810 figure exceeds last year's attendances, with the exception of the two Cork games and the Bohs Cup tie.

[culloty82]

646 at Longford

[EatYerGreens]

There will be more people at Bohs tomorrow than all other LOI games this weekend collectively. Make you wonder will nee Dalymount be too small by a long shot?

Definitely. It should be an 8,000 Category 4 stadium at a minimum. Ideally 10,000, but that would be the upper limit.

[outspoken]

646 at Longford

Baltic cold night, zero expectations around the team this year and very small away crowd. I do think on a nicer evening we'd have got 800+ with a lot of sympathy out there for recent storm damage but I'd expect a huge drop off now after another disappointing start for third year in a row

[legendz]

Kerry have increased season ticket sales from 2023 to 2024 and now 2025. Good going considering results to date over 2023 and 2024. Not a whole lot of positive momentum from results in the league. The MSC run last year was positive. All the while the club is getting established.

[EatYerGreens]

Kerry have increased season ticket sales from 2023 to 2024 and now 2025. Good going considering results to date over 2023 and 2024. Not a whole lot of positive momentum from results in the league. The MSC run last year was positive. All the while the club is getting established.

Exactly. Comparisons between them and the likes of Kildare County are genuinely unfounded. Kerry feels much more substantial, and is showing year-on-year continual growth/improvement.

[ger121]

Just the 33208 in the Aviva:tongue:

[ForeForeToo]

Cork City v Galway United - 5,031
St Pats v Drogheda United - 5,034
Shels v Derry City - 4,780
Sligo Rovers v Waterford - 3,612
Bohs v Shamrock Rovers - 33,208

Premier Total - 51,665
Premier Average - 10,333

Dundalk v Athlone - 2,600
Kerry v Finn Harps - 810
UCD v Wexford - 318
Treaty v Cobh - 1,256
Longford v Bray 646

First Division Total - 5,630
First Division Average - 1,126

Overall Total - 57,295
Overall Average - 5,729

Obviously the numbers are up due to the game in the Aviva but it makes for great reading.......an average attendance of over 10,000 in the Premier Division :-) How far away are we from that being a regular reality?

[oriel]

No figures for Shels or Dundalk games. Shels was sold out so assume over the 5k. Would mean 3 teams last night all above 5k. With the 30k in Aviva,
over 50k at league games this weekend.

The club released a figure of 2,600 to the league and its now on FAI Connect, the fact that its an even figure means they have just estimated, no idea why they didn't release the exact figure as they did v Drogs in Malone Cup and every or most games last season.

Most I sat with and spoke to said crowd was just under 3k, I'd prob go for 2,800.

[2 Year Contract]

Obviously the numbers are up due to the game in the Aviva but it makes for great reading.......an average attendance of over 10,000 in the Premier Division :-) How far away are we from that being a regular reality?
Very far considering we have 1 stadium that can hold that many people in the league

[ForeForeToo]

Very far considering we have 1 stadium that can hold that many people in the league

10 to 15 years?

[2 Year Contract]

10 to 15 years?

To have 10+ 10k capacity stadiums that sell out every week?? There’s optimism and then there’s that :) I don’t know if that will happen in the next 50 years but I would love to be wrong on that

[oriel]

Good idea for the league would be to open up the Aviva for other clubs who want to give up home advantage for the opening game. Prob only suit Dub clubs, maybe East Coast and Derry (due to fanbase), not sure Cork City would be interested, maybe Derry also not.

Either way, it an obvious massive success today. It beat every Championship Club attendance (Leeds play tomorrow) and incredibly 3 PL clubs this weekend..................

This really is some story.

[EatYerGreens]

To have 10+ 10k capacity stadiums that sell out every week?? There’s optimism and then there’s that :) I don’t know if that will happen in the next 50 years but I would love to be wrong on that

No club (apart from massive ones where they have to draw a line somewhere) develops a stadium with a capacity that will sell out every week. You develop one with a capacity that is a decent amount over your average, and you then hope to operate at about 75-80% of capacity apart from the odd occasion where it'll be higher. That way you leave room for growth.

[2 Year Contract]

No club (apart from massive ones where they have to draw a line somewhere) develops a stadium with a capacity that will sell out every week. You develop one with a capacity that is a decent amount over your average, and you then hope to operate at about 75-80% of capacity apart from the odd occasion where it'll be higher. That way you leave room for growth.

I know that, I didn’t say they’d sell out every week from the get go. No club is getting average crowds of 7.5-8k a week as it is (75-80% of 10k) so 10k capacity stadiums would be exactly what you’re describing. For a league average of 10k crowds though, grounds of that size would have to obviously be sold out every week. Or even bigger grounds that aren’t sold out. Either way I can’t see the league having 10 clubs in that scenario in the next 50 years

[EatYerGreens]

I know that, I didn’t say they’d sell out every week from the get go. No club is getting average crowds of 7.5-8k a week as it is (75-80% of 10k) so 10k capacity stadiums would be exactly what you’re describing. For a league average of 10k crowds though, grounds of that size would have to obviously be sold out every week. Or even bigger grounds that aren’t sold out. Either way I can’t see the league having 10 clubs in that scenario in the next 50 years

We'll probably never have 10 clubs selling out 10k capacity stadia every week. We just dontl have either the population in total or the population centres/concentrations, for it to happen.

Nowhere comparable in Europe has 10 teams attracting over 10,000 a game. Not even much bigger countries liike Sweden, Portugal or Belgium. Even Scotland - with the greatest depth of senior football anywhere in Europe, and 2 teams that are of continent=-wide significnace - only has 6 clubs with an attendance of over 10,000 this year (and one of those barely so). Even Poland, with a population of almost 40m and a huge footballng pedigree, only has 10 teams attracting over 10,000 on average.

I would still arge that we could justify stadia of 8-10,000 in some places around the country (Dublin, Cork, Derry), and 6-8,000 in Sligo, Limerick, Galway and possibly Waterford.

[ForeForeToo]

To have 10+ 10k capacity stadiums that sell out every week?? There’s optimism and then there’s that :) I don’t know if that will happen in the next 50 years but I would love to be wrong on that

I don't think we are anywhere near the mark either. Having said that it could be possible to have more than a handful of clubs with regular attendances at the 7k or 8k mark in the next 10 to 15 years if the league keeps progressing.

[Jolly Red Giant]

There is no reason why many clubs shouldn't be able to attract crowds in excess of 10,000 - there is historical evidence that such crowds are possible. The biggest limitation is ground capacity and quality. Bigger and better grounds would mean higher attendances - which would lead to more funds and the ability to attract better quality players - an ongoing knock-on effect.

[Glen Of Aherlow]

Good idea for the league would be to open up the Aviva for other clubs who want to give up home advantage for the opening game. Prob only suit Dub clubs, maybe East Coast and Derry (due to fanbase), not sure Cork City would be interested, maybe Derry also not.

Either way, it an obvious massive success today. It beat every Championship Club attendance (Leeds play tomorrow) and incredibly 3 PL clubs this weekend..................

This really is some story.

If you open up the Aviva regularly like that does it not downgrade the FAI Cup final ?

[outspoken]

If you open up the Aviva regularly like that does it not downgrade the FAI Cup final ?

That's my fear, as great as yesterday was and this is from someone who wasnt there btw, the atmosphere did seem more sterile than the tribalism that comes with a derby in dalier. Now as the league grows and please God facilities improve we may have to accept that with more families attending games (which is 100% what we want) but I don't think it can be understated how much the unique atmosphere at LOI games compared to say rugby or GAA has helped get younger people involved in the LOI.

[Another Bohemia]

If you open up the Aviva regularly like that does it not downgrade the FAI Cup final ?

Personally I would say no. The cup final having a trophy presentation at the end means it's always going to be an event regardless of any other games being played there. Plenty of countries have national stadiums that have league games played regularly in them (Scotland, France, Germany off the top of my head) it doesn't dampen their cup finals.

[EalingGreen]

If you open up the Aviva regularly like that does it not downgrade the FAI Cup final ?As 'Another Bohemia' says above, the FAI Cup Final need not be downgraded.

But opening the AVIVA more regularly for LOI games might make it difficult to go on attracting the mighty crowds seen the other day. For it seems to me that a big part of the attraction there must have come from the sense of it being an "event" or "occasion" etc. And more such events may dilute interest (novelty etc).

You get that in the IL, where when the League Cup (esp) and Irish Cup Finals are properly promoted and marketed, they can attract good crowds to Windsor, even when Linfield aren't involved. Whereas you wouldn't ever get that for IL games, simply because Linfield stage 20-odd home games there each season, so the ground has no novelty factor i.e. just another game.

EDIT: The other thing about the FAI Cup Final is that you're always liable to get different clubs participating than just the big Dublin clubs - see Drogs v Derry last year.

[2 Year Contract]

Personally I would say no. The cup final having a trophy presentation at the end means it's always going to be an event regardless of any other games being played there. Plenty of countries have national stadiums that have league games played regularly in them (Scotland, France, Germany off the top of my head) it doesn't dampen their cup finals.

None of those are comparable to the LOI though, in that the ticket demand for their cup finals is much higher than ours, and the percentage of neutrals that attend their finals is much less than ours too. Fans of LOI clubs that play a league game or a cup final in the Aviva will attend regardless, but if neutrals have several opportunities a year to go and watch 2 LOI teams in the Aviva then they’re less likely to attend on every occasion. I agree that the cup finals would still probably be the one most neutrals opt to go to but there’s no doubt it would dilute the cup final crowds to a degree

[pineapple stu]

I think the same has been said about moving the FA Cup semi-finals to Wembley - it diluted the Cup final experience to an extent. (And since then, lots of other things have diluted it of course)

An rud is annamh is iontach, as the saying goes.

[EatYerGreens]

There is no reason why many clubs shouldn't be able to attract crowds in excess of 10,000 - there is historical evidence that such crowds are possible. The biggest limitation is ground capacity and quality. Bigger and better grounds would mean higher attendances - which would lead to more funds and the ability to attract better quality players - an ongoing knock-on effect.

It depends what you mean by "many" though. The biggest limitation to us having more than just a handful of clubs capable of average crowds in excess of 10,000 longer term is probably population. Outside of Dublin and Cork at a push, we just don't have the size of places that could support multiple clubs attracting 10,000+ crowds regardless of their form (because they can't all be successful at the same time). Though fast growing we're still a small country with small population concentrations beyond Dublin.

[EatYerGreens]

If you open up the Aviva regularly like that does it not downgrade the FAI Cup final ?

Nahhh. Sure it'll be being played at a full Croke Park by then

[nr637]

Heard or read a piece pre-season that Cork City were looking into the possibilities of arranging a league fixture in Pairc Ui Chaoimh as part of their ideas for fund raising!

[outspoken]

Heard or read a piece pre-season that Cork City were looking into the possibilities of arranging a league fixture in Pairc Ui Chaoimh as part of their ideas for fund raising!

If the cork v Celtic rumours are true maybe that's how non Dublin clubs make their big pay day although id imagine the fees for bringing say man united to the Aviva would take a huge chunk from your profit

[Another Bohemia]

None of those are comparable to the LOI though, in that the ticket demand for their cup finals is much higher than ours, and the percentage of neutrals that attend their finals is much less than ours too. Fans of LOI clubs that play a league game or a cup final in the Aviva will attend regardless, but if neutrals have several opportunities a year to go and watch 2 LOI teams in the Aviva then they’re less likely to attend on every occasion. I agree that the cup finals would still probably be the one most neutrals opt to go to but there’s no doubt it would dilute the cup final crowds to a degree

I think the crux of your argument though is that neutrals (or at least a certain cohort of them) are only going to the cup final because it's their only opportunity to see LoI teams in the Aviva. I don't believe that. The cup final attendances have always been better attended than league games even before they were in the Aviva. Neutrals enjoy the cup final because there is silverware at stake. I think further league games would be at risk of cannibalizing themselves if they because regularly played at the Aviva but cup final attendances would remain pretty good (participants depending e.g. if you got a UCD vs Wexford final it probably would be poorly attended but not necessarily because of neutrals).

[legendz]

Heard or read a piece pre-season that Cork City were looking into the possibilities of arranging a league fixture in Pairc Ui Chaoimh as part of their ideas for fund raising!

Makes sense for any club near a big stadium to utilise an opportunity. Treaty have Thomond Park on their doorstep. John Delaney previously scuppered an opportunity for Limerick FC.

Cork and Treaty could work together for a 4 team tournament where they would take on two European giants without taking on each other.


If you open up the Aviva regularly like that does it not downgrade the FAI Cup final ?
I think so but open to being proven incorrect. I think one off games will attract a buzz.

[LTFC]

[QUOTE=legendz;2216031]Makes sense for any club near a big stadium to utilise an opportunity. Treaty have Thomond Park on their doorstep. John Delaney previously scuppered an opportunity for Limerick FC.

Cork and Treaty could work together for a 4 team tournament where they would take on two European giants without taking on each other.

Hard to make it pay - elite clubs can get fees in the 7 figures in other countries. The next level down would still be looking for significant 6 figure sums (thats your Premier League excluding L, MU, MC, CH, A, T).

[EalingGreen]

We'll probably never have 10 clubs selling out 10k capacity stadia every week. We just dontl have either the population in total or the population centres/concentrations, for it to happen.

Nowhere comparable in Europe has 10 teams attracting over 10,000 a game. Not even much bigger countries liike Sweden, Portugal or Belgium. Even Scotland - with the greatest depth of senior football anywhere in Europe, and 2 teams that are of continent=-wide significnace - only has 6 clubs with an attendance of over 10,000 this year (and one of those barely so). Even Poland, with a population of almost 40m and a huge footballng pedigree, only has 10 teams attracting over 10,000 on average.

I would still arge that we could justify stadia of 8-10,000 in some places around the country (Dublin, Cork, Derry), and 6-8,000 in Sligo, Limerick, Galway and possibly Waterford.You seem fixated on town or city populations as a basis for club growth etc.

But if a town of 25k has no interest in the game, then it may not ever support (literally and figuratively) a successful professional club, at least in the short-to-mid term. While much smaller places like Sligo and Ballybofey can.

And to take two examples of the latter from further afield, Burnley is a town of 100k people, close to many bigger, sometimes massive clubs, yet it can generate regular crowds of 20k+ to sustain a club in the top two tiers of the most competitive league(s) in Europe. Ditto Villareal, attracting regular crowds of 25k in a town of 50k, while reaching a CL semi-final and winning the EL (twice?).

While this talk of 10 clubs drawing regular 10k crowds also misses the point that well-run clubs attracting regular 5k crowds can still sustain f-t football, while 2.5k should be enough for p-t football.

I understand the excitement of new season, Shams in Europe and 35k in the AVIVA etc, and it's definitely a fantastic start with plenty to build on. But ROI football shouldn't lose sight of the essentials, namely that you build the game via existing clubs which show potential and ambition etc, one step at a time, and from the centre outwards.

Rather than forever looking to regions/counties/towns/provinces etc which have never had much interest in football, planting your magic beans there and hoping they'll grow overnight.

[EatYerGreens]

You seem fixated on town or city populations as a basis for club growth etc.

You seem fixated on looking to argue against whatever I say - no matter how irrelevant to the point I made.


But if a town of 25k has no interest in the game, then it may not ever support (literally and figuratively) a successful professional club, at least in the short-to-mid term. While much smaller places like Sligo and Ballybofey can.

And to take two examples of the latter from further afield, Burnley is a town of 100k people, close to many bigger, sometimes massive clubs, yet it can generate regular crowds of 20k+ to sustain a club in the top two tiers of the most competitive league(s) in Europe. Ditto Villareal, attracting regular crowds of 25k in a town of 50k, while reaching a CL semi-final and winning the EL (twice?).

While this talk of 10 clubs drawing regular 10k crowds also misses the point that well-run clubs attracting regular 5k crowds can still sustain f-t football, while 2.5k should be enough for p-t football.

I understand the excitement of new season, Shams in Europe and 35k in the AVIVA etc, and it's definitely a fantastic start with plenty to build on. But ROI football shouldn't lose sight of the essentials, namely that you build the game via existing clubs which show potential and ambition etc, one step at a time, and from the centre outwards.

Rather than forever looking to regions/counties/towns/provinces etc which have never had much interest in football, planting your magic beans there and hoping they'll grow overnight.

Why have you dragged this onto your usual hobby horse of lecturing everyone about where clubs should or shouldn't expand? That has absolutely nothing to do with what I said. You have completely mis-read my post, which made no mention of new clubs etc (& instead listed places where we have existing clubs). The point is that the populations in the places where we have EXISTING, long-established LOI clubs are just far too small to enable the EXISTING teams there to attract average crowds of over 10,000. Start and end of it.

That is the point. Not wangin on about 'magic beans' etc :rolleyes:

[EalingGreen]

You seem fixated on looking to argue against whatever I say - no matter how irrelevant to the point I made.Don't be so precious, it's a debating forum.


Why have you dragged this onto your usual hobby horse of lecturing everyone about where clubs should or shouldn't expand? That has absolutely nothing to do with what I said. You have completely mis-read my post, which made no mention of new clubs etc (& instead listed places where we have existing clubs). The point is that the populations in the places where we have EXISTING, long-established LOI clubs are just far too small to enable the EXISTING teams there to attract average crowds of over 10,000. Start and end of it.

That is the point. Not wangin on about 'magic beans' etc :rolleyes:This thread is about Attendances. And you made your usual simplistic reference to populations: "We just dontl have either the population in total or the population centres/concentrations" [to attract 10k crowds across the board etc].

My point is that such a correlation is misleading, since a large population doesn't guarantee a large support, nor a small population a small one. Which the present LOI (and leagues elsewhere) bears out amply.

As for existing clubs, there is no good reason why several shouldn't be aspiring towards* 10k averages in time, in Dublin at least. You know, harnessing some of the enthusiasm of the 35k in the Aviva the other day.

* - I say "towards", since only you mentioned "average crowds of over 10,000"

[nr637]

Celtic at Paric Ui Chaoimh in July.
LOI Talk can exclusively report that Cork City are set to play a friendly against Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the home of Cork GAA.

[2 Year Contract]

Celtic at Paric Ui Chaoimh in July.
LOI Talk can exclusively report that Cork City are set to play a friendly against Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the home of Cork GAA.

Be interested to see how much that’d make Cork once you take out the cost of the rental of Pairc Ui Chaoimh and the fee to get Celtic (first team) over. Celtic played a Premier League side in Wolves at the Aviva in 2023 and it only drew a crowd of 28k. Wolves obviously aren’t a big draw but judging by that crowd Celtic don’t seem to be as big a draw as they were in years gone by so I wouldn’t be anticipating anything close to PUC's 45k capacity

[dundalkfc10]

Be interested to see how much that’d make Cork once you take out the cost of the rental of Pairc Ui Chaoimh and the fee to get Celtic (first team) over. Celtic played a Premier League side in Wolves at the Aviva in 2023 and it only drew a crowd of 28k. Wolves obviously aren’t a big draw but judging by that crowd Celtic don’t seem to be as big a draw as they were in years gone by so I wouldn’t be anticipating anything close to PUC's 45k capacity

Be very interestingly to know when this game is on, as Celtic have a champions league qualifier to play this summer and are going on a tour to America.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is Celtic B team that play in lower scotish leagues, that plays Cork

[Buckett]

There's no way they've booked PUC for a Celtic B team

[Straightstory]

I think a season opener at the Aviva (like last Sunday) is the way to go. How many fans would a St Pats v Shels game attract? - or should it always be Bohs v Rovers?

[dundalkfc10]

There's no way they've booked PUC for a Celtic B team

Booked it for Celtic. Celtic are under no obligation to send the starting 11

Considering they will be in America for a few weeks pre season and a champions league qualifier to play in pre season, I cannot see anything other than a bunch of kids and 1 or 2 lads coming back from injury

[Martinho II]

Booked it for Celtic. Celtic are under no obligation to send the starting 11

Considering they will be in America for a few weeks pre season and a champions league qualifier to play in pre season, I cannot see anything other than a bunch of kids and 1 or 2 lads coming back from injury

I know a while back we played Celtic in preseason maybe a decade ago they only sent a reserve team to Longford ! But in the mid 80s when we played them they had a full first team! Such a difference!

[Buckett]

Booked it for Celtic. Celtic are under no obligation to send the starting 11

Considering they will be in America for a few weeks pre season and a champions league qualifier to play in pre season, I cannot see anything other than a bunch of kids and 1 or 2 lads coming back from injury

I'd be very surprised if it didn't come up during negotiations. These clubs have a few teams they could send for different fees, Celtic Legends, Celtic XI, Celtic B, Celtic.

[EatYerGreens]

Don't be so precious, it's a debating forum.

This thread is about Attendances. And you made your usual simplistic reference to populations: "We just dontl have either the population in total or the population centres/concentrations" [to attract 10k crowds across the board etc].

My point is that such a correlation is misleading, since a large population doesn't guarantee a large support, nor a small population a small one. Which the present LOI (and leagues elsewhere) bears out amply.

As for existing clubs, there is no good reason why several shouldn't be aspiring towards* 10k averages in time, in Dublin at least. You know, harnessing some of the enthusiasm of the 35k in the Aviva the other day.

* - I say "towards", since only you mentioned "average crowds of over 10,000"

I think we're at the stage where "Whatever" is the only appropriate response to your approach of dragging multiple discussions down a dark alley to give them a beating by tedium :D

So yeah. Whatever :cool:

[EatYerGreens]

Celtic at Paric Ui Chaoimh in July.
LOI Talk can exclusively report that Cork City are set to play a friendly against Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the home of Cork GAA.

Will be interesting to see what the ticket prices for this are, and what the appetite of the Irish public is for it.

Are Celtic still a box-office draw here? I can't recall when the games were, and I could be wrong, bit from memory the last few times they played here seemed to a bit of a damp squib really? I'm not sure that whether they bring a full team or not would even be the deciding factor in it being a success. So will be interesting to see how it goes.

[EatYerGreens]

I think a season opener at the Aviva (like last Sunday) is the way to go. How many fans would a St Pats v Shels game attract? - or should it always be Bohs v Rovers?

I'd be very surprised if it could draw over 30,000. But then, that's also what people thought about Bohs-Rovers when announced. So there's probably only one way to find out!

[brendy_éire]

Are Celtic still a box-office draw here? I can't recall when the games were, and I could be wrong, bit from memory the last few times they played here seemed to a bit of a damp squib really? I'm not sure that whether they bring a full team or not would even be the deciding factor in it being a success. So will be interesting to see how it goes.

30k when they played Wolves in Lansdowne a couple of years ago.
I do feel like it's their support is dying out a little bit over here, as is appetite for friendlies against them.
Maybe it's still worth a punt for Cork?