Attendances 2025

[ger121]

Just the 33208 in the Aviva

[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