League of Ireland Attendances - Gameweek 1

The first Gameweek of the new League of Ireland season has drawn to a close. Ten games took place across two divisions and produced 29 goals. That yield was 12 more than in 2015 (17 goals) and 13 more than 2014 (16 goals).

The new season also awaits its first draw. Five home wins and five away wins were registered with Bohemians, Wexford Youths, Sligo Rovers and Shelbourne the only teams yet to score a goal.

But what about the attendance figures? Last season the opening Gameweek saw 18,113 paying customers observe what League of Ireland had to offer. For the 2016 season, that figure is up by 1,010. 19,123 is the total figure across the ten games. (all confirmed official attendances for both 2015 and 2016).

Last season, Shamrock Rovers' game against Pats took the top spot with 4,483. This year Finn Harps local derby against Derry City saw 4,195 in attendance. It was the largest crowd of the weekend closely followed by Cork’s game against Bohemians (4,028).

Sligo Rovers' opener against Cork in 2015 recorded 3,082 and a year on their first game at home, this time against Shamrock Rovers, notched up 3.068. Limerick increased their home figures from 2015 with 1,252 watching their 4-1 win over UCD compared to 920 for their 2015 opener against Bohemians.

Bray also made a big jump this season – in 2015 they had 973 for their opening gate compared to 1,704 this year. Shelbourne however recorded a slight drop. 644 compared to 728 last year.

The Premier Division average attendance for Gameweek 1 was 2,598. The First Division average was 884. This compares to 2,508 (Premier) and 766 (First) last year.

A full breakdown of attendances is as follows: