League of Ireland attendance figures released; show big increases across all divisions

Crowds in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division are up 23 percent at this stage, compared to last year.

A total of 349,867 fans have come through turnstiles around the country so far, compared to 283,941 after the same number of games last year.

That’s an increase of 65,929.

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The average attendance this year is 3,430, compared to 2,784 at this point in 2022, according to figures released by the League of Ireland.

Shamrock aren’t just topping the Premier Division table, but their average home crowd of 6,028 is ahead of the rest - and represents a five percent increase on last year.

But it’s at Drogheda United where the biggest jump has taken place. Their crowds are up 39 percent at the halfway mark this year - from 1,364 to 1,896.

Attendances in the First Division are also on the rise, with eight percent more going through the gates so far in 2023.

So far this season, 109,977 people have attended the 95 games to date in the second-tier, compared to 101,688 watching the first 96 games of last season.

And it’s not just in the men’s game where crowds are up.

The average attendances in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division have risen by 80 percent, with 10,354 more people attending games so far this season.

The attendance record in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division has been broken three times this year.

Last weekend’s top-of-the-table clash between Shamrock Rovers and Peamount United drew a crowd of 1,464 supporters to Tallaght Stadium.

According to League of Ireland Director Mark Scanlon, the increases across the divisions show the need to improve facilities around the country.

“Though we are pleased to see crowds continuously rise across all three Divisions, it also highlights the need for investment in our stadia to help progress the League of Ireland and welcome even more fans into grounds for both the men’s and women’s Divisions as outlined in the new FAI Facilities Investment Strategy,” he said.

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