Crowds continue to increase in the League of Ireland
- Crowds reach 1,127,155 across games featuring LOI Clubs in 2025
- Men’s topflight increases 8% since 2024
Attendances in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division rose 8% in 2025 as a total number of 683,208 came through the gates in the topflight last season compared to 628,178 in 2024.
With the 2025 season kicking off with a record attendance of 33,208 at the Aviva Stadium between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers, the average attendances also rose to 3,775 from 3,490 in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division.
Overall, in competitions featuring League of Ireland teams, there has been an 11.7% rise in spectators attending games in Ireland, with a total of 1,127,155 people attending games compared to 1,009,072 in 2024.
This figure includes fixtures in the three League of Ireland Divisions, the Sports Direct Men’s and Women’s FAI Cups, the Women’s All-Island Cup, Men’s and Women’s President’s Cup and UEFA Club Competition games in Ireland.
Though there was a drop of 5% in SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division attendances from 165,163 to 157,095, crowds for the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup increased 9% from 85,692 to 93,672 while it was a 27% rise in the Sports Direct Women’s FAI Cup from 6,403 in total to 8,164.
There was a 1% rise in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division total attendances as 36,045 came to games compared to 35,589 in 2024 as Waterford made their debut in the Division.
With the addition of the new stand in The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, average attendances rose 20% for Derry City from 2,875 in 2024 to 3,474 in 2025.
Shelbourne enjoyed a 7% rise in average attendances from 4,262 to 4,562 at Tolka Park this season and Drogheda United rose 13% from 2,024 to 2,296.
Bohemians, with their Aviva Stadium bumper crowd against Shamrock Rovers, had an average home gate of 5,862 - a 38% increase from 2024’s 4,241.
Attendances were also boosted by more success in European competition for League of Ireland Clubs as 102,673 saw clashes in UEFA Club Competitions in Ireland compared to 69,475 in 2024.
