Football may be the The Republic of Ireland’s second favourite sport, but attendances have broke all records, over a million fans have watched games this season.
The figure is 1,001,630 to be exact. The FAI trophy played between Drogheda United and Derry City had the second-highest attendance ever with 38,723 fans in the Aviva stadium.
The League has seen a dramatic upturn in fortunes in the last five years, with investment into infrastructure, club marketing, and fresh investment from English clubs Like Walsall FC and Fleetwood Tow, with owners looking to develop multi-club business models.
The league went through a major rebrand two years ago which gave the League of Ireland (LOI) a fresh and more attractive look, and there is more TV coverage. In 2023 the number of televised games doubled to 43 games, reaching over 3.08 million people.
It’s not quite the Hollywood take over of Wrexham, but well known names within the game are getting involved according to League of Ireland journalist Barry Landy: “Personalities like Damian Duff, the title-winning manager of Shelbourne is a former Premier League title winner with 100 caps for the Republic of Ireland. He’s made no secret that he loves the LOI and that helps more than anything in legitimizing the product in the eyes of potential fans.”
The league was in a sorry state before COVID, with most clubs underfunded and lacking modern infrastructure and with low attendances. In 2012 the FAI Cup had just over 16 thousand fans rattling around in the Aviva Stadium. This season that figure doubled.
The pandemic seemed to reinvigorate the football in Ireland. Dave Carabini is a passionate Drogheda United fan and co-host of the Peilcast, a LOI podcast: “The league has grown exponentially really since COVID If I’m honest, I think the lockdowns and difficulty in leaving the country pushed people into going to games in Ireland because of the restrictions.”
The reason for the growth of the Irish league goes beyond just the pandemic. Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk now regularly make it into the group stages of European competitions, unheard of in years gone by. The Push towards making the league full-time and professional has also played a part with the majority of clubs now operating as a full-time professional set-up. This has increased the quality within the league and made the football more exciting.
Landy also added that the quality in the league has made for close competition, which has driven ticket sales:”The 2024 season had a thrilling title race involving no fewer than five clubs going into the final weeks of the season. If games are hard fought and every fanbase believes their team can achieve something tangible, people will come through the turnstiles.”
There has also been a rise in fan ultra culture, with more passionate supporters creating great atmospheres and getting active within the community.
The increased attendance has shined a light on how unloved the facilities of most clubs in the country are. Most of the grounds aren’t where their respective clubs would like them to be in terms of infrastructure. Teams have found it difficult to capitalize on the growing interest in domestic football because of the struggle to accommodate fans on match days.
A major investment in November, of 45 million Euros was allocated by the government for new stadiums and upgrades at several LOI clubs. This is a start as the league looks to catch up to where it should be.
The winners of the league only receive around 125 Thousand Euros. The National League winners in England get around one million pounds, ten times more. This disparity is crucial in understanding why the league has struggled to upgrade and develop when the prize pool is so low.
The only glimmer of hope is European competition. Success in the qualifying rounds generates vital revenue. Drogheda finished the season in ninth place and will play Bray Wanderers in a playoff game to stay in the Premier Division.
Carabini outlined the difference in prize money between winning the league and the FAI Cup: “Drogheda United are getting 525,000 euros in prize money for just being involved in the UEFA qualifiers for 2025/26. That’s approximately five times what Shelbourne will get for winning the league this year. That needs to change, we need investment badly!”
The growth of the domestic league has given rise to more opportunities for investment from outside of Ireland. Trivela who owns Walsall bought Drogheda in the latter months of 2023 ahead of the next season. Drogheda had been on a gradual decline. While the league campaign could still end in relegations for “the Drogs” the investment has provided a lifeline to avoid relegation. Winning the FAI Cup is a sign that fortunes are changing.
With more and more clubs favouring a multi-club model, League of Ireland sides might find themselves with more investment. That could see more clubs flourish.
