League of Ireland Attendances 2018 -- The Story So Far

• Gareth Penrose
• Wed, Jul 04 2018




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

 

2018 v 2017 v 2016 Averages
	2018 Average	2017 Average	2016 Average
Cork City	4,448	4,559	2,533
Shamrock Rovers	2,794	2,799	2,041
Dundalk	2,503	2,705	2,738
Derry City	2,453	1,500	1,519
Waterford	2,402	1,550	277
Bohemians	2,202	1,958	1,627
Sligo Rovers	1,908	1,717	1,752
St. Patrick's Athletic	1,722	1,583	957
Limerick	1,055	1,610	1,133
Galway United	871	1,359	1,169
Shelbourne	660	500	583
Finn Harps	651	1,269	1,210
Bray Wanderers	616	966	933
Longford Town	461	342	488
Drogheda United	438	815	583
Cabinteely	313	339	352
UCD	267	220	317
Cobh Ramblers	252	339	403
Wexford	188	340	455
Athlone Town	154	182	156

 

Percentage of Attendance per club
	Games	Total	Average	Percent
Cork City	11	49,371	4,488	17.13
Shamrock Rovers	12	33,532	2,794	11.63
Dundalk	12	30,036	2,503	10.42
Derry City	11	26,980	2,453	9.36
Waterford	11	26,423	2,402	9.17
Bohemians	11	24,371	2,202	8.45
Sligo Rovers	12	22,901	1,908	7.94
St. Patrick's Athletic	11	18,949	1,722	6.57
Limerick	12	12,665	1,055	4.39
Galway United	8	6,969	871	2.42
Bray Wanderers	11	6,778	616	2.35
Shelbourne	9	5,937	660	2.06
Finn Harps	9	5,863	651	2.03
Longford Town	9	4,148	461	1.44
Drogheda United	8	3,506	438	1.22
Cabinteely	8	2,505	313	0.87
Cobh Ramblers	9	2,271	252	0.79
UCD	8	2,139	267	0.74
Wexford	9	1,690	188	0.59
Athlone Town	8	1,228	154	0.43
TOTAL	199	288,262	1,449	100.00

 

Top 10 Attended games
Date	Home			Away	Att
27/04	Cork City	1	0	Dundalk	6,672
23/02	Cork City	2	0	Waterford	6,443
01/06	Cork City	3	0	Waterford	4,834
13/04	Shamrock	1	2	Bohemians	4,512
12/03	Cork City	1	0	Shamrock	4,483
13/04	Cork City	1	0	St Pats	4,402
19/03	Cork City	3	0	Bohemians	4,265
16/03	Shamrock	1	0	St Pats	4,133
18/05	Cork City	4	0	Bray	4,070
23/02	Shamrock	0	0	Dundalk	4,065

 

LOI GAMES ON TV
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
20/04	Bohemians	0	2	Cork City	2,281
16/02	Bohemians	3	1	Shamrock	3,640
27/04	Cork City	1	0	Dundalk	6,672
19/03	Cork City	3	0	Bohemians	4,265
30/03	Derry City	2	1	St Pats	2,460	est
06/04	Dundalk	2	1	Shamrock	3,056
09/03	Dundalk	1	0	Cork City	3,563
01/06	Shamrock	2	5	Dundalk	2,799
13/04	Shamrock	1	2	Bohemians	4,512
23/03	Waterford	2	1	Shamrock	3,010

 

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.

 

Gameweek by Gameweek
W	Date Range	G	Total	Av	Premier Av	First Av
1	16 - 17 Feb	5	14,460	2,892	2,892	0
2	23 - 24 Feb	9	18,823	2,091	3,235	662
3	26 - 27 Feb	5	8,252	1,650	1,650	0
4	9 - 10 Mar	10	13,984	1,398	2,327	470
5	12 Mar	5	11,220	2,244	2,244	0
6	16 - 17 Mar	10	13,793	1,379	2,354	404
7	19 Mar	3	5,740	1,913	2,807	127
8	23 - 26 Mar	10	11,583	1,158	2,157	493
9	30 Mar	10	12,455	1,246	2,083	408
10	6 - 7 Apr	9	13,255	1,473	2,308	429
11	13 - 14 Apr	10	15,378	1,538	2,617	459
12	16 - 17 Apr	5	8,570	1,714	1,714	0
13	20 - 21 Apr	10	13,272	1,327	2,187	468
14	27 - 28 Apr	9	16,837	1,871	2,969	498
15	30 Apr	5	7,587	1,517	1,517	0
16	4 - 5 May	10	14,355	1,436	2,459	412
17	7 May	2	860	430	0	430
18	11 - 12 May	10	11,519	1,152	1,885	419
19	14 - 15 May	3	4,092	1,364	1,364	0
20	18 - 20 May	10	13,288	1,329	2,267	390
21	21 - 22 May	4	7,635	1,909	1,909	0
22	25 May	10	12,256	1,226	2,105	346
23	1 Jun	10	13,020	1,302	2,204	400
24	5 - 6 Jun	5	5,740	1,148	3,865	469
25	8 - 9 Jun	10	10,837	1,084	1,848	319
26	15 Jun	10	9,566	957	1,593	320
		199	288,377	1,449	2,212	427

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.

 

ATHLONE TOWN
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
08/06	Athlone Town	0	5	Shelbourne	114
25/05	Athlone Town	1	1	Longford Town	220
11/05	Athlone Town	0	1	Drogheda	107
04/05	Athlone Town	0	3	Galway Utd	291
13/04	Athlone Town	1	4	Cobh Ramblers	125
30/03	Athlone Town	1	1	Finn Harps	119
19/03	Athlone Town	1	2	Cabinteely	127
16/03	Athlone Town	1	3	UCD	125
				TOTAL	1,228
				Average	154

 

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).

BOHEMIANS
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
08/06	Bohemians	1	2	Derry City	1,722
25/05	Bohemians	1	1	Shamrock	3,466
18/05	Bohemians	0	2	Dundalk	2,421
30/04	Bohemians	0	1	Waterford	1,540
20/04	Bohemians	0	2	Cork City	2,281
06/04	Bohemians	0	1	Limerick	1,674
23/03	Bohemians	2	2	Bray	1,853
16/03	Bohemians	2	3	Sligo Rovers	1,623
09/03	Bohemians	0	1	St Pats	2,814
27/02	Bohemians	0	1	Derry City	1,183
16/02	Bohemians	3	1	Shamrock	3,640
				TOTAL	24,371
				Average	2,202

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).

BRAY WANDERERS
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
15/06	Bray	0	0	Waterford	359
01/06	Bray	3	1	St Pats	685
14/05	Bray	2	2	Waterford	392
11/05	Bray	1	3	Bohemians	911
04/05	Bray	2	1	Derry City	319
27/04	Bray	0	1	Limerick	470
16/04	Bray	1	0	Shamrock	645
13/04	Bray	0	2	Dundalk	820
30/03	Bray	0	4	Cork City	669
12/03	Bray	1	2	Sligo Rovers	384
23/02	Bray	1	2	St Pats	1,124
				TOTAL	6,778
				Average	616

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.

CABINTEELY
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
08/06	Cabinteely	1	0	Longford Town	301
04/06	Cabinteely	4	0	Athlone Town	168
25/05	Cabinteely	2	0	UCD	201
20/05	Cabinteely	1	2	Galway Utd	245
13/04	Cabinteely	2	0	Shelbourne	608
30/03	Cabinteely	3	2	Drogheda Utd	334
09/03	Cabinteely	0	1	Cobh	324
23/02	Cabinteely	0	1	Wexford	324
				TOTAL	2,505
				Average	313

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).   

COBH RAMBLERS
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
15/06	Cobh	1	0	Athlone Town	120
09/06	Cobh	2	1	Wexford	110
04/06	Cobh	0	0	Galway Utd	375
25/05	Cobh	0	3	Shelbourne	320
12/05	Cobh	1	0	Cabinteely	246
05/05	Cobh	0	1	Longford Town	233
21/04	Cobh	1	5	Drogheda Utd	310
30/03	Cobh	0	2	UCD	278
17/03	Cobh	0	2	Finn Harps	279
				TOTAL	2,271
				Average	252

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.    

CORK CITY
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
15/06	Cork City	1	0	Bohemians	3,604
04/06	Cork City	4	2	Derry City	3,865
01/06	Cork City	3	0	Waterford	4,834
18/05	Cork City	4	0	Bray	4,070
05/05	Cork City	2	1	Limerick	3,516
27/04	Cork City	1	0	Dundalk	6,672
17/04	Cork City	1	0	Sligo Rovers	3,217
13/04	Cork City	1	0	St Pats	4,402
19/03	Cork City	3	0	Bohemians	4,265
12/03	Cork City	1	0	Shamrock	4,483
23/02	Cork City	2	0	Waterford	6,443
				TOTAL	49,371
				Average	4,488

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.

DERRY CITY
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
15/06	Derry City	0	4	Dundalk	2,300
01/06	Derry City	0	2	Sligo Rovers	1,600
21/05	Derry City	2	0	Bray	1,600
14/05	Derry City	1	4	Dundalk	2,500
11/05	Derry City	0	0	Cork City	3,200
27/04	Derry City	0	0	Shamrock	3,100
16/04	Derry City	3	1	Bohemians	2,650
13/04	Derry City	1	0	Waterford	2,650
30/03	Derry City	2	1	St Pats	2,460
16/03	Derry City	5	1	Bray	2,460
12/03	Derry City	5	0	Limerick	2,460
				TOTAL	26,980
				Average	2,753

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.  

DROGHEDA UNITED
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
01/06	Drogheda	2	0	Cabinteely	376
18/05	Drogheda	2	0	Wexford	351
27/04	Drogheda	1	1	Shelbourne	580
13/04	Drogheda	1	1	Longford Town	478
06/04	Drogheda	2	0	UCD	471
26/03	Drogheda	2	1	Finn Harps	382
23/03	Drogheda	2	2	Galway Utd	494
11/03	Drogheda	6	0	Athlone Town	374
				TOTAL	3,506
				Average	438

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.

DUNDALK
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
08/06	Dundalk	4	0	Limerick	2,276
25/05	Dundalk	5	0	Bray	1,877
21/05	Dundalk	2	0	Waterford	2,041
11/05	Dundalk	2	1	Sligo Rovers	2,134
30/04	Dundalk	5	0	St Pats	2,086
20/04	Dundalk	2	2	Derry City	3,191
06/04	Dundalk	2	1	Shamrock	3,056
30/03	Dundalk	3	0	Bohemians	3,263
16/03	Dundalk	1	0	Waterford	2,215
09/03	Dundalk	1	0	Cork City	3,563
27/03	Dundalk	8	0	Limerick	1,843
16/02	Dundalk	0	0	Bray	2,491
				TOTAL	30,036
				Average	2,503

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.

FINN HARPS
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
15/06	Finn Harps	1	3	UCD	536
04/06	Finn Harps	2	4	Longford Town	545
01/06	Finn Harps	4	0	Athlone Town	573
18/05	Finn Harps	0	1	Cobh	660
07/05	Finn Harps	1	0	Galway Utd	655
04/05	Finn Harps	2	1	Drogheda Utd	631
20/04	Finn Harps	1	0	Cabinteely	594
23/03	Finn Harps	1	0	Wexford	734
09/03	Finn Harps	1	1	Shelbourne	935
				TOTAL	5,863
				Average	651

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.

GALWAY UNITED
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
08/06	Galway Utd	1	2	Finn Harps	734
25/05	Galway Utd	0	1	Drogheda	838
11/05	Galway Utd	2	0	UCD	845
27/04	Galway Utd	3	0	Cobh	753
13/04	Galway Utd	4	1	Wexford	847
30/03	Galway Utd	0	0	Longford Town	1,029
16/03	Galway Utd	3	1	Cabinteely	725
23/02	Galway Utd	4	1	Athlone Town	1,198
				TOTAL	6,969
				Average	871

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.

LIMERICK
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
15/06	Limerick	0	2	Shamrock	700
01/06	Limerick	1	1	Bohemians	1,100
21/05	Limerick	0	2	Cork City	978
11/05	Limerick	0	1	St Pats	800
30/04	Limerick	0	3	Derry City	703
17/04	Limerick	0	3	Dundalk	700
14/04	Limerick	1	2	Sligo Rovers	700
30/03	Limerick	0	2	Waterford	1,122
19/03	Limerick	0	1	Shamrock	1,348
16/03	Limerick	1	1	Cork City	1,341
09/03	Limerick	1	0	Bray	948
24/02	Limerick	1	1	Bohemians	2,225
				TOTAL	12,665
				Average	1,055

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.

LONGFORD TOWN
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
15/06	Longford Town	1	0	Drogheda Utd	335
01/06	Longford Town	3	2	Galway Utd	410
19/05	Longford Town	1	1	Shelbourne	531
28/04	Longford Town	1	2	Finn Harps	458
21/04	Longford Town	0	2	UCD	472
07/04	Longford Town	3	0	Cabinteely	425
24/03	Longford Town	5	1	Athlone Town	521
10/03	Longford Town	3	0	Wexford	421
24/02	Longford Town	2	2	Cobh	575
				TOTAL	4,148
				Average	461

 

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.

SHAMROCK ROVERS
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
09/06	Shamrock	5	0	Bray	1,588
01/06	Shamrock	2	5	Dundalk	2,799
22/05	Shamrock	3	0	St Pats	3,016
11/05	Shamrock	1	1	Waterford	2,379
30/04	Shamrock	3	0	Cork City	1,931
20/04	Shamrock	1	1	Limerick	1,964
13/04	Shamrock	1	2	Bohemians	4,512
30/03	Shamrock	1	0	Sligo Rovers	2,900
16/03	Shamrock	1	0	St Pats	4,133
09/03	Shamrock	6	1	Derry City	2,720
26/02	Shamrock	6	0	Bray	1,525
23/02	Shamrock	0	0	Dundalk	4.065
				TOTAL	33,532
				Average	2,794

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.

SHELBOURNE
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
15/06	Shelbourne	0	0	Cabinteely	464
04/06	Shelbourne	1	1	Drogheda Utd	787
01/06	Shelbourne	4	1	Wexford	512
11/05	Shelbourne	0	0	Finn Harps	724
04/05	Shelbourne	1	1	UCD	738
20/04	Shelbourne	2	0	Galway Utd	761
06/04	Shelbourne	7	0	Athlone Town	667
23/03	Shelbourne	1	0	Cobh	602
16/03	Shelbourne	3	2	Longford Town	682
				TOTAL	5.937
				Average	660

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.

SLIGO ROVERS
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
09/06	Sligo Rovers	0	2	Cork City	1,793
25/05	Sligo Rovers	0	0	Limerick	1,438
19/05	Sligo Rovers	0	0	Shamrock	1,572
05/05	Sligo Rovers	0	2	Bohemians	2,033
30/04	Sligo Rovers	2	1	Bray	1,327
21/04	Sligo Rovers	0	0	St Pats	1,473
07/04	Sligo Rovers	0	2	Derry City	1,873
24/03	Sligo Rovers	0	2	Dundalk	2,586
09/03	Sligo Rovers	1	2	Waterford	1,589
26/02	Sligo Rovers	1	4	Cork City	1,842
23/02	Sligo Rovers	2	1	Derry City	2,319
17/02	Sligo Rovers	0	1	Limerick	3,056
				TOTAL	22,901
				Average	1,908

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.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
15/06	St Pats	0	3	Sligo Rovers	1,003
25/05	St Pats	1	3	Cork City	1,530
18/05	St Pats	5	2	Derry City	1,762
15/05	St Pats	2	0	Sligo Rovers	1,139
04/05	St Pats	2	0	Shamrock	2,918
27/04	St Pats	2	2	Bohemians	2,429
16/04	St Pats	1	0	Waterford	1,358
06/04	St Pats	5	0	Bray	1,252
23/03	St Pats	1	0	Limerick	1,178
12/03	St Pats	0	0	Dundalk	1,609
16/02	St Pats	2	3	Cork City	2,771
				TOTAL	18,949
				Average	1,723

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.

UCD
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
08/06	UCD	2	0	Drogheda Utd	337
01/06	UCD	3	1	Cobh	131
18/05	UCD	3	0	Athlone Town	164
27/04	UCD	3	2	Wexford	202
13/04	UCD	3	2	Finn Harps	236
23/03	UCD	3	1	Cabinteely	223
09/03	UCD	1	1	Galway Utd	296
23/02	UCD	2	1	Shelbourne	550
				TOTAL	2,139
				Average	267

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.  

WATERFORD
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
08/06	Waterford	2	0	St Pats	1,862
25/05	Waterford	4	0	Derry City	1,743
18/05	Waterford	3	6	Limerick	1,774
04/05	Waterford	2	1	Dundalk	3,508
27/04	Waterford	1	1	Sligo Rovers	2,173
20/04	Waterford	3	0	Bray	2,024
06/04	Waterford	2	1	Cork City	3,684
23/03	Waterford	2	1	Shamrock	3,010
12/03	Waterford	1	0	Bohemians	2,284
26/02	Waterford	2	0	St Pats	1,859
16/02	Waterford	2	1	Derry City	2,502
				TOTAL	26,423
				Average	2,402

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.

WEXFORD
Date	Home	H	A	Away	Att
15/06	Wexford	0	0	Galway Utd	145
25/05	Wexford	1	1	Finn Harps	153
11/05	Wexford	0	2	Longford Town	173
07/05	Wexford	0	8	UCD	205
04/05	Wexford	0	1	Cabinteely	168
20/04	Wexford	7	0	Athlone Town	202
06/04	Wexford	1	1	Cobh Ramblers	153
30/03	Wexford	0	1	Shelbourne	281
16/03	Wexford	1	8	Drogheda	210
				TOTAL	1,690
				Average	188

 

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.