League of Ireland Attendances 2017 - Gameweek 10

As the attendance figures rolled in for Gameweek 10 of the SSE Airtricity League of Ireland, it looked like it would be a strong week on the crowds front.

Bray Wanderers had returned a hugely improved crowd figure. Sligo Rovers had a strong showing. St. Patrick’s Athletic also looked like a good one. Limerick and Dundalk, although maybe not as strong as they have been this season, still posted relatively good numbers. However Gameweek 10 has ranked eighth in terms of crowd averages.

The reason for being lured into a mistaken viewpoint was that most of the attendances were solid in comparison to their season numbers but there lacked any outstanding numbers. No one broke into the 3,000s or above. Five of the ten clubs recorded a first or second best attendance of their home games to date, but no one produced a crowd of 6,746 like Cork City and Dundalk did in Gameweek 6. Throw that one figure into the mix in place of Dundalk’s gate and suddenly Gameweek 10 ranks second in the ten Gameweeks that has passed.

So is there optimism to be found in lower overall numbers? Yes, yes there is. Bray Wanderers' clash with Shamrock Rovers (2,225) meant they had the best turnout of their season. Sligo Rovers' visit of Derry City (1,827) was their second best of the season, as was St Patrick’s Athletic’s gate (1,786) versus Cork City.

On the lower end of the scale, Cabinteely recorded their second best crowd (569), as did Shelbourne (505).

Dundalk had the best crowd of the Gameweek (2,848) but their visit of Bohemians was fifth from six in their season figures. Limerick may have posted the second lowest attendance (1,714) but it was still a very decent crowd. Harps did record their lowest gate of the season (905) for the visit of Drogheda United.

Cobh Ramblers' (350 estimate) and Athlone Town’s (146) numbers were third and fourth of five home games but the effect on the overall Gameweek was minor.

So Gameweek 10 will go down as one that had solid numbers for a number of clubs but ultimately if you just look Gameweek to Gameweek it records as the third  lowest of the season to date. The opening weekend remains the one to beat which is starting to become a pattern each year in the league.

On a final note, we’d like to thank all the clubs for their continued willingness to share these figures and quite promptly.

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