League of Ireland Attendances 2018 -- The Story So Far

With 199 fixtures completed in the 2018 SSE Airtricity League of Ireland, the projected season totals look set to be slightly better than 2017. With only 106 games left to play (61 in the Premier and 45 in the first) the average attendances will need to keep pace with the first half of the season in order to come in slight better than last season.

With both the Premier and First Division titles, relegation places and promotion spots still very much in the mix this should be a driver to maintain current averages if not improve on them.

This article is working off 199 attendance figures of which 16 (8%) are estimated. We acquired a full set of official figures from 18 of the 20 clubs with only Derry City (11) and Limerick (5) totals containing estimates. The estimated figures have been calculated by a combination of ExtraTime.ie reporters and local media estimates. Should we acquire any of these figures in the future we will update this article.

The reason for such a comprehensive set of figures is down to club officials across the league who have put up with weekly (and sometimes daily) emails and phone calls in order to secure these numbers and their help with this task is greatly appreciated.  

Highlights and Lowlights – The Facts and Figures

After 199 games (183 official attendance figures and 16 estimates), the total League of Ireland audience for 2018 to date is 288,262 with an average gate of 1,449. 

Overall Attendances

Cork City’s dominance of the attendance charts has continued into 2018. Last season the Turner’s Cross crowd represented 16.9% of the overall League of Ireland attendance. So far this season, the Rebel Army accounts for 17.13%. In the eleven games, just under 50,000 people have turned up to the Cork venue (49,371).

Shamrock Rovers occupy second place with 33,532 (11.63%) in attendance at Tallaght Stadium so far this season.  Dundalk took third spot with 30,036 (26,980). Both sides have had 12 home games so far this season compared to Cork’s 11.

Athlone Town sit at the bottom of the charts with 1,228 (0.43%) turning up so far this season at their home venue. Wexford fare slightly better with 1,690 (0.59%) with UCD completing the bottom three with 2,139 (0.74%).

Average Attendances

Not all sides in the league have completed the same number of home games with four Premier Division sides having completed 12 games (the rest have played 11) and five First Division teams having completed 9 games (the rest have played 8).

Despite this, there are only two changes in the chart positions when comparing averages. Cobh Ramblers slip behind UCD (252 versus 267) whilst Bray Wanderers drop below Shelbourne and Finn Harps (616 versus 660 and 651).  

Cork City’s average attendance figures is 4,488. The sum of the bottom ten club’s average attendances tally to 4,000 which means 488 more people on average attend Turner’s Cross than the sum of all the crowds across TEN other League of Ireland venues (Bray Wanderers, Shelbourne, Finn Harps, Longford Town, Drogheda United, Cabinteely, Cobh Ramblers, UCD, Wexford, Athlone Town). 

In 2016 and 2017 three clubs managed to have an average attendance over 2,000 (Cork City, Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk). So far in 2018, six clubs have surpassed the 2,000 mark with two more very close to breaching that number.

Over the last two seasons, there has always been one First Division side that has surged far ahead of the others regarding attendances. This hasn’t happened to far in 2018 with all sides in the lower tier averaging below 1,000. Galway United lead with an average attendance of 871 followed by Shelbourne on 660.

As with overall attendances, Athlone Town sit at the foot of the table with an average crowd of 154. 

Best attended matches

Cork City’s 1-0 win over Dundalk at Turner’s Cross in April is currently the best attended league fixture with 6,672 showing up. The visit of Waterford at the start of the season to the Cork venue ranks second with 6,443 present. The corresponding fixture (Cork City 3-0 Waterford) in June takes third place with 4,834 turning the stiles.

The top ten is dominated by Cork City as they occupy seven of the ten best attended games. The only club to disrupt that is Shamrock Rovers who appear in the other three places. The Dublin derby in April against Bohemians ranks fourth with 4,512. They place 8^th and 10^th with the visits of St. Patrick’s Athletic (4,133) and Dundalk (4,065) respectively.  

Worst attended matches

Athlone Town’s 1-0 loss against Drogheda United in May drew the smallest crowd to date. 107 people were in attendance according to officially released figures. Athlone Town occupy six places in the lowest attended fixtures. Cobh Ramblers (2), UCD (1) and Wexford (1) complete the top ten. 

On TV

Ten games have been shown on television so far this season with the average attendance coming in at 3,626 which is currently higher than last season’s 3,409. The lowest attendance TV encounter was Bohemians 0-2 Cork City in April with 2,281 present. That’s still 79 more than the Gypsies average attendance this season.  

Changing your Match Day

Clubs in the League of Ireland play their games on a Friday or Saturday but with the increased number of fixtures being fit into the first part of the season, the Monday or Tuesday fixture has been more commonplace. But does the day change impact attendances? Previous years have shown that it has for the most part played into a drop of numbers turning up at games. So is 2018 any different?

For the most part Monday and Tuesday games sees a decrease on the gate across the league with the exception of a number of First Division teams who seen an increase on their previous week’s attendance figures. A number of Premier Division clubs worst attendances have come on a Monday or Tuesday.

Total number of games played: 199

Total League of Ireland 2018 Attendance to date: 288,531

Average gate for the 2018 season to date: 1,450

Average gate for Premier Division: 2,212

Average gate for the First Division: 427 

Total number of attendees in the Premier Division: 252,121

Total number of attendees in the First Division: 36,256

Largest Attendance: 6,672 – Cork City 1 – 0 Dundalk (27/4)

Lowest Attendance: 107 – Athlone Town 0 – 1 Drogheda United (11/5)

Average Attendance for games on TV: 3,626

Gameweek by Gameweek

For the purpose of this article we have created gameweeks based on date ranges that try to cover a series of matches. The date ranges are included in the graphic.

The opening weekend of the season featured only Premier Division games and, as per many season’s trends, is the highest so far this season (average: 2,892). As the Gameweeks have progressed the overall average has fluctuated but trended downwards with the final Gameweek before the break recording the lowest (average: 957) and was the only time the average dropped below 1,000 when 5 or more games were played.

In the Premier Division, the average per Gameweek was above 2,000 on 16 occasions out of 23. The midseason average for the top tier was 2,212. The First Division did not fare as well. With an average to date of 427, the opening day of the division was the best performer (average: 662) but has trended downwards as the weeks passed.

Club by Club

ATHLONE TOWN

As with the two previous seasons, Athlone Town continue to struggle to draw a crowd to Athlone Town Stadium. Last season 2,543 fans watched the Midlanders at their home ground (average: 182). To date in 2018, 1,228 have turned the stiles (average: 154) which is down on last season. Their average has dropped by 28. The most attended game of 2018 so far was the visit of Galway United as 291 spectators saw the Tribesmen win 3-0.

BOHEMIANS

The Gypsies may be slightly off their 5^th place finish of last season but that has not stopped the fans turning up to Dalymount Park this season. As it stands, Bohemians have improved on their season average (average: 2,202) compared to last season (1,958). Their lowest crowd was a Tuesday visit of Derry City which saw 1,183 turn up with Dublin derbies still providing that attendance surge as in line with previous seasons. The two visits of Shamrock Rovers are easily Bohs best attended games (3,466 and 3,640).

BRAY WANDERERS

It’s not terribly positive news for Bray so far this season. Sitting at the bottom of the Premier Division table, they have also suffered a drop in crowd numbers compared to last season. An average crowd of 616 has showed up to the Carlisle Grounds this season compared to 966 last season. Last season visits from Shamrock Rovers (2,225 v 645), Cork City (1,879 v 669), Dundalk (1,538 v 820), Pats (1,287 v 685) and Bohemians (1,193 v 911) are dramatically down this season. Bray’s lowest attended game was the visit of Derry City in May (319).

CABINTEELY

No major changes for the Stradbrook based Cabinteely for 2018. Last season’s average crowd of 339 is slightly higher than their current 2018 average of 313. Their best showing of the season was the visit of Shelbourne which almost doubled their average attendance (608). The visit of Athlone Town unsurprisingly drew the least numbers with 168 in attendance.

COBH RAMBLERS

Cobh Ramblers are yet another First Division side whose averages are down on 2018. Last season they managed 339 per game. This season has seen that drop off to 252. Cobh’s Monday night clash against Galway United interestingly drew the largest crowd of the season (375) and then five days later their Friday encounter with Wexford drew their worst (110).   

CORK CITY

Cork City remain the poster club for attendances in the League of Ireland. They lead the way with the highest crowd of the season (6,672) and all their home gates are within the top 20 best of the season. 49,371 people have visited Turner’s Cross this season which is over 6,000 more than the sum of the lowest 11 clubs total attendances. Their worst crowd of the season was a Tuesday evening match against Sligo Rovers with saw 3,217 in attendance.    

DERRY CITY

Derry City are the only club in the league not to provide official attendances. With the move back to the Brandywell, we have compiled an estimated view of the club’s crowds. We won’t spend anytime analysing these, but we will provide you with our estimates. They are all calculated from asking a number of people present to provide figures. If we happened to get the official figures we will update this article.

DROGHEDA UNITED

Drogheda United switched Premier Division football for the First Division this season and, as expected, it has had an impact on their gate. Last season’s average was 815 but so far in 2018 they have averaged 438 per game. The visit of Shelbourne in April was their best attended game (580) whilst the May visit of Wexford was their lowest at 351.  

DUNDALK

Dundalk top the league but rank third in the attendance rankings, a position they ended last season in. Four out of the first seven games this season they passed 3,000 but as they headed towards the mid-season break their crowds settled between 1,877 to 2,276. Their average crowd this season is 2,491 which is down on their 2017 and 2016 averages of 2,705 and 2,738 respectively.

FINN HARPS

Finn Harps dropped to the First Division this season and their crowd totals have also taken a tumble. With an average attendance of 1,269 in 2017, they are currently averaging 651 in 2018. Their best crowd was the opening day match against Shelbourne. Since then their crowds have trended downwards with their lowest crowd of the season coming on the last game before the break. 536 were present for the 3-1 loss to UCD in June.

GALWAY UNITED

Galway United were another team to face the drop. Last season their crowds in Eamon Deacy Park only dropped below 1,000 on three occasions and they had an average gate of 1,359. This season they have only passed 1,000 twice. Their opening game against Athlone Town drew 1,198 but since then they have mostly drawn crowds in the seven and eight hundreds.

LIMERICK

Limerick started off the season providing official attendance figures but after the first five games it became less frequent. We won’t analyse their crowds too much due to the estimates but from sources at the games their attendances have not matched last season’s impressive 1,610 average. Based on estimates we have their 2018 average at 1,055. Their opening day match against Bohemians is their highest attended game (2,225) and the only time this season they came close to passing the 2,000 mark.

LONGFORD TOWN

Longford Town have improved on their 2017 average so far this season. Last season’s average of 342 has increased to 461 in 2018. Their best showing was on the opening day of the season when Cobh Ramblers draw 2-2 in front of 575 spectators. As with a number of clubs their lowest crowd of the season was the last game before the break when 335 turned up to watch Drogheda United lose 1-0.

SHAMROCK ROVERS

Steady as she goes for Shamrock Rovers. Sitting in second place in the attendance charts they have almost an identical average this season compared to last (2,794 v 2,799). They haven’t matched their best showing in 2018 (5,220 for the visit of Bohemians) but the Gypsies were the opposition for their highest attendance so far this season (4,512). Notable is the impact of Monday games on the Tallaght attendances as two of their three lowest crowds attending that day.

SHELBOURNE

Shelbourne sit third in the league table and their crowds this season have increased slightly on 2017. Their average attendance of 660 is up 160 on last season. Having regularly draw six or seven hundred to Tolka Park their was a sizable drop on the last game before the break against Cabinteely as 464 turned up.  Interestingly, as with some First Division clubs, their only Monday night game was their best attended with 787 coming through the stiles. Monday night games usually have a negatve impact in the Premier Division but in the First Division a number of clubs fared best on the early week game.

SLIGO ROVERS

Sligo Rovers have also improved on their gate this season. Having averaged 1,717 last season, they now are getting 1,908 per game to the Showgrounds. The opening day visit of Limerick was their most successful crowd with 3,056 in attendance. The Monday night visit of Bray Wanderers was their poorest showing at 1,327.

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC

Attendance wise, Pats have improved once again this season. Having gone from 1,097 average per game in 2016 to 1,583 in 2017, they are now averaging 1,723 per game. Their best showing last season was the Dublin derby against Shamrock Rovers and once again that’s the case but instead of 2,543 they registered 2,918 this season. As with many other clubs the worst showing was the game before the break as 1,003 showed up for Sligo Rovers 3-0 win.

U.C.D

UCD have traditionally had low attendances when compared to the rest of the league and that hasn’t changed but they are up on last year. 2017’s 220 per game is now 267 in 2018. As with a number of First Division teams, their best showing was at the visit of Shelbourne which saw 550 in attendance.

WATERFORD

Waterford were the stand out team last year regarding attendances. From an average of 277 in 2016 then exploded upward to 1,550 in 2017. That growth has impressively continued in 2018. They have averaged 2,402 per game this season. The visits of Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk and Cork City drew 3,010, 3,508 and 3,684 respectively. Their lowest crowd so far this season was 1,743 against Derry City which is almost 200 more than their average of last season.  

WEXFORD

Wexford have struggled this season on the pitch and unfortunately they have also suffered attendance wise. Last season’s average of 340 has dropped to 188 this season. There is not a big spread between their best and worst crowd. 281 people turned up in March for Shelbourne’s visit whilst the last game before the best ranked as their lowest crowd with 145 in attendance for Galway United’s 0-0 draw.

In Summary

The 2018 season is on track to beat the 2017 totals but the key to that will be that the Premier Division and First Division title races, European spots, and relegation/promotion places being up for grabs all the way to the end of the season. The Premier Division clubs have mostly seen improvements on numbers but the First Division loiters far behind in terms of crowds. They are growing smaller as each year passes.

If you have any comments or issues with facts and figures, you can reach me on @garethpenrose. If you spot any errors please let me know as compiling wasn’t easy with the mountain of constantly arriving figures. I'd like to thank again all the clubs and volunteers that continue to provide figures.

Please note that if you do use these figures found here further afield in print, on radio or on television, we appreciate if you would also give Extratime.ie credit as it has taken a lot of effort to source and compile this information.