Bohemians’ move to the Aviva Stadium for their opening game of the season against arch-rivals Shamrock Rovers and Derry City’s new stand contributed to an 8 per cent increase in attendances at League of Ireland Premier Division men’s matches in 2025.
A total of 683,208 fans clicked through the turnstiles last season, up from 628,178 in 2024, with average attendance rising from 3,490 to 3,775.
Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers attracted 33,208 to the Aviva for the opening Premier Division fixture while the new stand in the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium saw a 20 per cent increase at Derry matches as the average attendance rose to 3,474.
Bohs will host St Patrick’s Athletic at the Aviva in next season’s opening game on February 8th when the attendance will be capped at 30,000.
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Upgrades to Tolka Park and United Park also allowed Shelbourne and Drogheda United to increase their average crowds by 7 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
The overall figures at games featuring League of Ireland clubs across all men’s and women’s competitions increased by 11.7 per cent to 1,127,155 as European attendances rose from 69,475 to 102,673 due to Shels joining Rovers in the Uefa Conference League group stage.
There was, however, a 5 per cent drop in First Division attendances, down to 157,095, while the women’s League of Ireland had a 1 per cent increase to a total of 36,045 fans.
