IN ANY OTHER week, and any other season, the attendance figures for the opening weekend of the League of Ireland Premier Division season would have been enough to catch the eye.
There were 4,780 at Tolka Park for Shelbourne’s rousing 3-1 win over Derry City. The enthralling 2-2 draw between Cork City and Galway United was watched by 5,031 in Turner’s Cross, while 5,034 crammed into Richmond Park for the St Patrick’s Athletic-Drogheda United stalemate.
Waterford’s dramatic 3-2 win away to Sligo Rovers saw 3,612 comes through the gates at the Showgrounds.
A combined 18,457 for those four fixtures indicates a thriving ecosystem. This afternoon, something truly wild will happen when the largest ever crowd for a league match gathers at the Aviva Stadium.
As of 6.35pm last evening, over 31,000 tickets were sold for the Dublin derby between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers. It will surpass the 30,000 recorded for the 1-1 draw between Drumcondra and Cork United in Dalymount Park in 1946.
There have been enough false dawns in those 79 years, and the success of attracting such numbers for a Premier Division game shows now is the time to continue to push boundaries, especially on the back of impressive turnouts for FAI Cup finals.
It hasn’t fallen below 30,000 since 2018 while the 43,881 that were there for St Patrick’s Athletic beating Bohs in 2023 set a record for Irish football’s showpiece.
Bohs v Rovers brings an edge that makes renting the Aviva (the Gypsies are the designated home side after opting to switch) a worthwhile test of the appetite.
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The five games between the teams last season (the four league fixtures and one in the Cup) totalled 29,509. That also included a record Tallaght Stadium attendance of 10,094.
This opening-day derby will surpass that, and even though the intimacy of the vitriol won’t quite match Dalymount levels it’s clear that the decision by the club to stage it in Dublin 4 is a popular one in both dressing rooms.
“Whether you’re player or manager you take the opportunity of playing in the national stadium,” Bohs boss Alan Reynolds said. “If I turned to the players and said ‘no, we’re not playing here’, they’d not been impressed. I know we’ve given up home advantage but it’s something they’re really looking forward to.
Dawson Devoy (left) of Bohs and Dylan Watts of Shamrock Rovers. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
“We came back into pre-season in December, had a break at Christmas, but they always had this [game] to say ‘this is how I’m starting the season’. Everyone wanted to be ready for that.”
Midfielder Dawson Devoy agreed with his manager. “I’d have to say [the Aviva] just for the occasion and how good the stadium is and how good the pitch is.
“Listen, Dalymount is a special place to play when you’re playing against Shamrock Rovers but obviously I’m looking forward to Sunday.
“I think you are [losing something], of course. Dalymount has that factor – tight ground, the fans, everything about it. But you’ve seen when the Bohs fans come here it’s similar, they create a great atmosphere wherever they go. Of course, you’re losing something from Dalymount but I’m sure we’ll be alright.”
Danny Grant made the switch from Bohs to Rovers at the end of last season when he was informed by Reynolds that he was surplus to requirements.
Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
The 25-year-old is from Lucan, Co. Dublin and while he admits to not supporting a League of Ireland club growing up, he made such a connection with Bohs after breaking into the professional game that he got a tattoo of Dalymount Park on one of his legs.
“It doesn’t disappear,” he joked after helping his new club to a famous 1-0 win away to Molde in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League knockout phase play-off on Thursday.
The return is in Tallaght on Thursday, so today’s derby is an enticing clash sandwiched in between.
Grant will have “a good few” members of family attending but they will be among the neutral section because “they probably want to stay as far away from the madness as possible.”
For Bohs, though, taking the gamble on renting the Aviva was a necessary gamble as they look to bolster income and assess alternative options for revenue as they brace themselves for two seasons away from Dalymount Park when redevelopment is due to start at the end of this year.
Bohs boss Alan Reynolds. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
Club president Matt Devaney told the Irish Sun in November: “We had our AGM on Sunday and we laid it out quite starkly that this is going to be a really difficult time, when we move out [of Dalymount].
“As a collective/a membership, we need to bridge that gap through additional fundraising. We hit that message home and hopefully it landed. No doubt it will be a challenging period.”
What matters most for both sides today is securing a positive result. Reynolds will need one to build momentum and positivity after a disappointing eighth-place in 2024. The high-profile signing of former Premier League striker Lys Mousset, who previously cost in the region of €18 million in transfer fees, has increased expectation.
Stephen Bradley also wants his Rovers players to avoid the mistakes of last season, when they were dethroned as champions by Shelbourne, and admitted that a lengthy period of reflection was required.
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“I take responsibility for that, I’m the manager. And that comes from me. I lead the group and when we come off it, that’s on me. I have to take responsibility for it, I’ve allowed that to happen, and I allowed that to happen last year,” he said.
“We needed new energy, hunger, we needed people to forget about what we achieved and wanted more. I’m not saying we’ll be successful, but we have our identity back.”
Former Bohs man Danny Grant is now with Rovers. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Sixteen-year-old striker Michael Noonan introduced himself to Europe with his winning goal earlier this week and is an example of a renewed spirit that Bradley speaks of.
“We became sloppy, we came off it… if you think that’s going to be acceptable this year and get us to the level we want to get, we’re kidding ourselves and we can’t do that, that falls on me,” he said.
“We’ll be out of the title race by June if we think we can just saunter on.”
No better place to lay a marker down today.
Today – Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers, Aviva Stadium, 2pm (Live on Virgin Media 2)
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Over 31,000 fans to set new League of Ireland attendance record at Aviva Stadium
IN ANY OTHER week, and any other season, the attendance figures for the opening weekend of the League of Ireland Premier Division season would have been enough to catch the eye.
There were 4,780 at Tolka Park for Shelbourne’s rousing 3-1 win over Derry City. The enthralling 2-2 draw between Cork City and Galway United was watched by 5,031 in Turner’s Cross, while 5,034 crammed into Richmond Park for the St Patrick’s Athletic-Drogheda United stalemate.
Waterford’s dramatic 3-2 win away to Sligo Rovers saw 3,612 comes through the gates at the Showgrounds.
A combined 18,457 for those four fixtures indicates a thriving ecosystem. This afternoon, something truly wild will happen when the largest ever crowd for a league match gathers at the Aviva Stadium.
As of 6.35pm last evening, over 31,000 tickets were sold for the Dublin derby between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers. It will surpass the 30,000 recorded for the 1-1 draw between Drumcondra and Cork United in Dalymount Park in 1946.
There have been enough false dawns in those 79 years, and the success of attracting such numbers for a Premier Division game shows now is the time to continue to push boundaries, especially on the back of impressive turnouts for FAI Cup finals.
It hasn’t fallen below 30,000 since 2018 while the 43,881 that were there for St Patrick’s Athletic beating Bohs in 2023 set a record for Irish football’s showpiece.
Bohs v Rovers brings an edge that makes renting the Aviva (the Gypsies are the designated home side after opting to switch) a worthwhile test of the appetite.
The five games between the teams last season (the four league fixtures and one in the Cup) totalled 29,509. That also included a record Tallaght Stadium attendance of 10,094.
This opening-day derby will surpass that, and even though the intimacy of the vitriol won’t quite match Dalymount levels it’s clear that the decision by the club to stage it in Dublin 4 is a popular one in both dressing rooms.
“Whether you’re player or manager you take the opportunity of playing in the national stadium,” Bohs boss Alan Reynolds said. “If I turned to the players and said ‘no, we’re not playing here’, they’d not been impressed. I know we’ve given up home advantage but it’s something they’re really looking forward to.
“We came back into pre-season in December, had a break at Christmas, but they always had this [game] to say ‘this is how I’m starting the season’. Everyone wanted to be ready for that.”
Midfielder Dawson Devoy agreed with his manager. “I’d have to say [the Aviva] just for the occasion and how good the stadium is and how good the pitch is.
“Listen, Dalymount is a special place to play when you’re playing against Shamrock Rovers but obviously I’m looking forward to Sunday.
“I think you are [losing something], of course. Dalymount has that factor – tight ground, the fans, everything about it. But you’ve seen when the Bohs fans come here it’s similar, they create a great atmosphere wherever they go. Of course, you’re losing something from Dalymount but I’m sure we’ll be alright.”
Danny Grant made the switch from Bohs to Rovers at the end of last season when he was informed by Reynolds that he was surplus to requirements.
The 25-year-old is from Lucan, Co. Dublin and while he admits to not supporting a League of Ireland club growing up, he made such a connection with Bohs after breaking into the professional game that he got a tattoo of Dalymount Park on one of his legs.
“It doesn’t disappear,” he joked after helping his new club to a famous 1-0 win away to Molde in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League knockout phase play-off on Thursday.
The return is in Tallaght on Thursday, so today’s derby is an enticing clash sandwiched in between.
Grant will have “a good few” members of family attending but they will be among the neutral section because “they probably want to stay as far away from the madness as possible.”
For Bohs, though, taking the gamble on renting the Aviva was a necessary gamble as they look to bolster income and assess alternative options for revenue as they brace themselves for two seasons away from Dalymount Park when redevelopment is due to start at the end of this year.
Club president Matt Devaney told the Irish Sun in November: “We had our AGM on Sunday and we laid it out quite starkly that this is going to be a really difficult time, when we move out [of Dalymount].
“As a collective/a membership, we need to bridge that gap through additional fundraising. We hit that message home and hopefully it landed. No doubt it will be a challenging period.”
What matters most for both sides today is securing a positive result. Reynolds will need one to build momentum and positivity after a disappointing eighth-place in 2024. The high-profile signing of former Premier League striker Lys Mousset, who previously cost in the region of €18 million in transfer fees, has increased expectation.
Stephen Bradley also wants his Rovers players to avoid the mistakes of last season, when they were dethroned as champions by Shelbourne, and admitted that a lengthy period of reflection was required.
“I take responsibility for that, I’m the manager. And that comes from me. I lead the group and when we come off it, that’s on me. I have to take responsibility for it, I’ve allowed that to happen, and I allowed that to happen last year,” he said.
“We needed new energy, hunger, we needed people to forget about what we achieved and wanted more. I’m not saying we’ll be successful, but we have our identity back.”
Sixteen-year-old striker Michael Noonan introduced himself to Europe with his winning goal earlier this week and is an example of a renewed spirit that Bradley speaks of.
“We became sloppy, we came off it… if you think that’s going to be acceptable this year and get us to the level we want to get, we’re kidding ourselves and we can’t do that, that falls on me,” he said.
“We’ll be out of the title race by June if we think we can just saunter on.”
No better place to lay a marker down today.
Today – Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers, Aviva Stadium, 2pm (Live on Virgin Media 2)
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