December 23 – End-of-year figures published by the Football Association of Ireland have a painted a picture of the current landscape of Irish domestic football – crowds across the League of Ireland continued to climb in 2025, with more than one million supporters attending matches over the course of the season.
A total of 1,127,155 fans passed through the gates across men’s and women’s league fixtures, FAI Cup ties and European matches, representing an overall increase of 11.7% on 2024, which is no mean feat.
The Premier Division predictably led the way. Attendances in the men’s top flight rose by eight percent to 683,208 – an increase of just over 55,000 spectators year on year. A sizeable share of that growth came on the opening night of the season, when 33,208 supporters were in attendance for Bohemians’ clash with Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva Stadium.
Investment in facilities also played its part. Derry City’s new stand helped lift their average crowd by 599, while Shelbourne recorded an increase of around 300.
Elsewhere, capacity limits at grounds such as Dalymount Park and Weavers Park curtailed the potential for even larger rises, particularly at Bohemians and Drogheda United.
As has become a familiar pattern, Dublin derbies proved to be the strongest draw. Shamrock Rovers’ six highest league attendances of the season all came against fellow Dublin clubs, with similar trends evident at St Patrick’s Athletic, Bohemians and Shelbourne.
The pull of Dublin clubs extended beyond the capital – visits from Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians or Shelbourne accounted for the largest crowds at each of the six non-Dublin Premier Division grounds during the season, too.
Attendances moved in the opposite direction in the First Division, where totals fell by five percent to 157,095. The decline was largely attributed to Cork City’s promotion, which removed one of the division’s strongest crowd-pullers.
Cup competitions, however, recorded healthy increases – Men’s FAI Cup attendances rose by nine percent to 93,675, boosted by a crowd of 35,252 at the Aviva Stadium for the final, where Shamrock Rovers defeated Cork City to secure the double.
Figures from the women’s game were more of a mixed bag. The stats showed total league attendances edged up slightly to 36,045, compared to 35,589 the previous year, though the average gate fell from 323 to 273. The Women’s FAI Cup bucked that trend, with 8,164 supporters attending matches, up from 6,403 in 2024.
European fixtures also saw a total of 102,673 fans attend across the 17 home games involving League of Ireland clubs in continental competition – an average of 6,040 per match. That compares with 69,475 spectators across 13 games the previous year, when the average crowd stood at 5,344.
Overall, the figures point to continued momentum across the domestic game, with strong headline fixtures, improved infrastructure and growing European interest all contributing to rising attendances.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]