The League of Ireland returns to action tonight off the back of a record first half of the season.
Attendances at domestic fixtures with League of Ireland Clubs have risen to over half a million at the summer break for the first time.
There has been a combined total of 506,475 people across the three League of Ireland Divisions and Cup fixtures up until June 23.
In the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division, attendance has risen 6% from 349,867 to 371,551 compared to last year’s break. Some 283,941 people had attended the men’s top-flight games at the break in 2022.
The average attendance for the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division has also risen 6% from 3,294 to 3,505.
Shamrock Rovers’ clash with Bohemians at Tallaght Stadium saw the biggest crowd so far this season, with 10,094 there to see the Champions’ 3-1 win.
The SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division attendance record was also broken when 2,861 people attended Galway United’s win over DLR Waves at Eamonn Deacy Park beating the previous record of 1,464 who were at the 2023 clash between Shamrock Rovers and Peamount United.
Treaty United has seen a significant rise so far this term, with more people having already attended their SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division fixtures this season than the entirety of 2023.
Their average has risen 53% from 642 to 1,376 at the summer break compared to last year, and their SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division side’s attendance has also increased from 166 to 340.
SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division leaders Shelbourne’s attendances have risen 23% with an average of 4,150 compared to 3,393 in the previous year’s summer break.
After Galway United and Waterford’s promotion last season, the average for the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division has dropped from 1,037 to 961, with the average crowds at SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division fixtures rising from 308 to 396.
“It has been a brilliant League of Ireland season so far this year, and this is being reflected once more in the rising crowds nationwide,” said League of Ireland Director Mark Scanlon.
“Reaching half a million people already in 2024 is an exciting landmark and shows the rising profile of the League and our Clubs. We have a thrilling title race in both the SSE Airtricity Men’s and Women’s Premier Divisions as well as the race for promotion in the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division to look forward to for the rest of the year, and we’d encourage anyone who hasn’t been to a game yet to get out and experience the thrill across the three Divisions.”
“Our Clubs continue to develop and do fantastic work in communities they are embedded in and these statistics also highlight once more the need for investment in our facilities to help us grow to the next level as sell out signs are a regular occurrence and many of the stadiums are unable to cater for demand.”
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