League of Ireland enjoys attendance spike in top flight

May 15, 2025

Crowd attendance in the League of Ireland’s top flight has increased in comparison to last year.

Across the ten teams, there have been an average of 4,615 supporters watching games this season, 825 more than last campaign.

Figures from TransferMarkt claim Bohemian have the highest average attendance of 8,418, although the majority of that contribution is down to a one-off game at the Aviva Stadium. Over 33,000 supporters watched their 1-0 victory over Shamrock Rovers – which is around seven times the capacity of their home ground Dalymount Park.

Shamrock Rovers are averaging 6,197 supporters at The Tallaght Stadium, a small increase on the 6,071 they were seeing last season.

Galway have seen an increase of around 400 supporters with an average of 3,414 inside their 5,000-seater stadium. Damien Duff’s title-winning Shelbourne have unsurprisingly increased from 4,269 to 4,777.

St Pat’s, Derry City, Drogheda United and Sligo Rovers have also enjoyed increases in attendances. However, Waterford’s has dropped from 2,728 to 2,640 this season.

Cork City have also seen a significant increase following their promotion to the top flight. They averaged 2,876 in the first division, which has increased to 3,923.

FAI director Mark Scanlon told talkSPORT: “We’re delighted with the trajectory of the league at the minute, over the last few seasons we’ve seen record breaking crowd numbers.

“Our league has been secondary to the Premier League in Ireland but thankfully, there’s a bit of a shift there now, and people are starting to come out and support clubs in their own country.

“With that, we’ve seen a huge interest across, particularly with young fans and families going to games, which is really important for us.

“We’ve also been blessed with some really exciting football on the pitch too and that’s led to the overall growth we have seen in the last few years.”

Average attendances 2024/25 season

Bohemian FC – 8,418 (one-off game at the Aviva Stadium) – previous 4,240

Shamrock Rovers – 6,197 – previous 6,071

Galway United – 3,414 – previous 3,014

Shelbourne FC – 4,777 – previous 4,269

St Pat’s – 4,926 – previous 4,402

Cork City – 3,923 – previous 2,876

Derry City – 3,477 – previous 2,871

Sligo Rovers – 2,915 – previous 2,858

Waterford – 2,640 – previous 2,728

Drogheda United – 2,309 – previous 2,023