When Holly Murdoch, the head of the women’s game at the English FA, attends the launch of the Lidl Ladies National Football League, clearly it is no ordinary ribbon-cutting shindig.
But then these are not ordinary days for women’s sport. This is an era of unprecedented growth in terms of participation and coverage – but at Croke Park on Wednesday came a reason to take stock.
For all the progress that has been made, research commissioned by Lidl found that 59 per cent of Irish people have never attended a live female sporting event, compared to 29 per cent who have never attended a live men’s event.
The poll, carried out by Red C between November 30th and December 11th and which had 1,000 respondents, also revealed that 59 per cent of the population would rather watch a men’s sports event on TV than attend a female sports event.
Among some other eye-catching figures are that only 15 per cent would bring a child to a women’s sports event over a male one, while 54 per cent of those who do attend female sports events would still attend a male event over a female one.
[ FAI expands board to increase female representation to 40 per centOpens in new window ]
Dublin’s 2023 All-Ireland winning captain Carla Rowe was taken aback by the number of people who have never come through the turnstiles to watch a female sporting event.
“It was something upward on 60 per cent of the population of Ireland has never been to a ladies’ game across all female sports,” she said.
I’d hope to get as close as possible to it before my football career ends, which hopefully is another couple of years
— Dublin captain Carla Rowe on seeing a sold-out Croke Park for All-Ireland women’s football final
“It’s kind of a shocking statistic and one that is a bit of a reality check in that, yes, there’s so much positive work, and you have to remember that, but there are lots of opportunities for us to grow it even further and push the boundaries even more.”
Murdoch flew over from the UK to speak at the launch in Croke Park, while from the US Lindsay Peterson made the trip to be in attendance. Peterson is the director of operations for Nebraska Volleyball at the University of Nebraska, who in August 2023 set the world record for attendance at a female sports event with 92,003 attending a female volleyball match.
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The English FA has seen a huge upsurge in attendances at women’s matches in recent years too, which included 77,390 attending last May’s Women’s FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.
“As far as we have come, we are under no illusions that this is only the beginning of our journey,” said Murdoch. “And the hard work will continue to ensure that the women’s game flourishes and our fan base grows, with the aim being to see those records tumble in the years to come.”
The current record attendance at a female sporting event in Ireland is 56,114 – for the 2019 All-Ireland ladies’ finals at Croke Park on a day when Dublin beat Galway in the senior decider.
The record attendance at a women’s soccer international match here was set in September last year when 35,944 turned up at the Aviva Stadium to watch the Republic of Ireland beat Northern Ireland 3-0.
Meath footballer Emma Duggan believes integration of all three Gaelic games bodies – LGFA, GAA and Camogie Association – would be helpful in terms of scheduling and promoting women’s matches.
“Scheduling is such an issue,” she says. “Every single year you go out and think you’re not going to see Cork camogie and football taking a stand because they have clashes at the weekend. Every year you’re hoping that you’ll see that progression, but every year it’s the same issue. Integration will help with things like that.”
However, both Duggan and Rowe believe a sold-out Croke Park on All-Ireland women’s football final day is not a pipe dream.
“I really can see it happening, especially after the progress over the last few years,” adds Duggan. “We are probably a few years off it – but I really do see it happening.”
And Rowe agrees: “I don’t think it’s too many years away. This year I am not too sure, but I’d hope to get as close as possible to it before my football career ends, which hopefully is another couple of years.”
The 2024 Lidl National Football League begins this Sunday with a quartet of Division Four fixtures, while Division One throws in on Saturday, January 20th, with the headline meeting of Dublin and Kerry at Parnell Park.
Attitudes to attending female sporting events 2024: Key findings
Decision-making: attending male or female sports events
59 per cent would watch a men’s sports event on TV over attending a female sports event in person
52 per cent would choose to attend a male sports event over an equivalent female sports event
54 per cent of those that attend female sports events would attend a male event over a female event
9 per cent would choose to attend a female sports event over an equivalent male sports event
31 per cent would bring a child to a men’s sports event over a female sports event
15 per cent would bring a child to a women’s sports event over a male sports event
Attendance at female or male sports events
59 per cent have never attended a female sports event in Ireland
29 per cent have never attended a male sports event in Ireland
27 per cent have attended more than 20 male sports events in Ireland
42 per cent are interested in attending female sports events in Ireland
57 per cent are interested in attending male sports events in Ireland
Barriers impacting decision to attend female sports events
41 per cent – not knowing or hearing about the event
37 per cent – venue is not easy to get to
34 per cent – ticket price is too high
34 per cent – not knowing anyone who is playing
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