NEW FIGURES RELEASED by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) show an increase in the number of spectators attending SSE Airtricity League matches over the last 12 months.
Attendances for Premier Division fixtures increased by 9.8% with Cork City and league champions Dundalk both attracting average crowds of over 3,000.
Overall, almost 375,000 spectators passed through the turnstiles at a League of Ireland ground during the 2015 season.
In addition, a number of clubs posted notable increases on last season with Limerick (48%) leading the way in the Premier Division ahead of Longford Town (31%) and Galway United (28%).
The largest crowd of the season was recorded at Turner’s Cross for the league meeting of Cork and Dundalk in April with 6,900 packed into the venue on that occasion.
There was also a spike in interest in the cup competitions with the final of the FAI Cup, between Cork and Dundalk, attracting a crowd of 25,103 at the Aviva Stadium last month.
While the numbers are heading in the right direction and a handful of Premier Division clubs are attracting healthy crowds, interest levels remain relatively low.
Apart from a couple of showpiece clashes, attendances at Tallaght Stadium, Richmond Park and Dalymount Park have all dwindled of late while clubs like Drogheda United and Sligo Rovers have paid the price for poor on-field results.
The new SSE Airtricity League season kicks-off on 4 March 2016.
