ONE MYTH HAS already been busted in the League of Ireland this season.
Damien Duff was not the sole reason for Shelbourne’s resurgence.
On and off the pitch, they continue to thrive in his absence.
Ahead of their final home against St Patrick’s Athletic today, 76,695 supporters have already come through the turnstiles at Tolka Park.
With Joey O’Brien in charge and European football confirmed for 2026 (not to mention a league phase of the Uefa Conference League until at least Christmas), second place is not beyond the Reds.
Their average attendance is already 4,511 – up on 4,269 last year – and Tolka is close to a sell-out for this Dublin derby.
Duff was a catalyst for the Shels renaissance, of that there is no doubt, but something more permanent and powerful appears to be sustaining the momentum: community, spirit and belonging.
The Save Tolka Park campaign had already sparked some into life, engaging a fanbase which sought preservation in Drumcondra in order to shape an even stronger future.
Duff bought into the movement and added another layer of intense loyalty. It was backboned by more than just vacuous celebrity.
His presence stirred a reaction in the wider Irish sporting community too, and within the league it also felt like he was the perfect focal (you might even say vocal) point for those yearning for acceptance and validation of a lifelong commitment carried out on the fringes.
His departure as Shels boss on a Sunday morning in June threatened to derail the 2024 champions’ season completely. The defence of their crown was already effectively over and Duff felt he had nothing left to give the job.
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He may have been the prism through which those on the outside judged the health of the league, but he had already helped to ignite something more substantial inside Tolka Park.
In Ireland, as across the world, it is those that click through the turnstiles who provide the spirit and soul that enriches the game. Slowly, the League of Ireland is becoming as much a cultural experience as a sporting one in this country. This is thanks to the supporters who give life to clubs and their grounds.
If football without fans is nothing, football fans without a TV subscription just get a dodgy box.
For Shels, when you take into the consideration the President’s Cup (attendance: 4,584) and four European qualifiers that all sold out with a reduced capacity of 3,665, they will break through the 100,000 mark this afternoon.
Shamrock Rovers, confirmed as champions on Wednesday night, have one more home game against Sligo Rovers today and have already passed that 100k threshold – albeit their average is down slightly from 6,071 in 2024 to 5,927 this term.
A crowd of over 8,000 is expected at Tallaght Stadium later today so that average could be matched, a sign of relative stability across the board after years of growth.
The concern, of course, is a plateau and then a level of apathy somehow creeping in. This has been a year that offers hope for the future with academy funding, a commitment from the current government that will hopefully be maintained for the course of the 11-year cycle the FAI have set out.
Shels and Rovers reaching the league phase of the Uefa Conference League is a first, and if it is to become a regular occurrence then that academy system will also have to keep up with the quality of player required.
Academies will help maintain growth here as much through producing homegrown players capable of performing at such a level as it will by bringing in millions selling off the most prized assets.
Mason Melia and Victor Ozhianvuna made headlines with record-breaking transfers to Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, while Owen Elding of Sligo Rovers will likely soon follow suit.
To replenish the squads with talents of this calibre, clubs will, of course, have to spend money.
While numbers on the bottom line don’t exactly capture the essence of any movement, they do paint a picture, and accumulative losses for League of Ireland clubs between 2022-24 stood at €20 million.
A landmark, four-year TV deal with Virgin Media will help establish a different audience but getting people into grounds remains the priority – although Rovers did earn over €7m in European prize money last season and should they and Shels progress to the knockout phase of the Conference League they will collect a similar amount again.
So far, half of clubs in the Premier Division recorded increases and decreases in average attendances on last season. Shels, Derry City, Bohemians, Drogheda United and Cork City all saw figures boosted.
The Leesiders, who still have a home game against the Candystripes today, will return to the First Division with an average of 3,125 compared to 2,876 during their promotion season.
Compared to 2023 when they also suffered relegation from the top flight, that is actually a drop from 3,637. Managerial changes and anger at owner Dermot Usher have led to protests throughout this campaign.
Bohs, with a reduced-capacity Dalymount Park until the redevelopment begins, would have maintained their 4,240 average from ’24. The record breaking 33,280 crowd at Aviva Stadium for what was their ‘home’ game with Rovers to kick off the season meant they also broke through that 100k barrier on 101,092 – an average of 5,947.
Derry owner Philip O’Doherty began planning for an increased capacity at the Ryan McBride Brandywell last year. It paid off, and their average attendance rose from 2,871 to 3,453.
Drogheda could yet earn fourth spot (enough for Europe provided Rovers beat Cork in the FAI Cup final) if they beat Bohs, and Pat’s don’t win at Tolka Park. Their average is 2,278 (2,023 in ’24).
Sligo, Waterford and Galway are all battling to avoid a place in the promotion/relegation playoff and their average attendances dropped by 55, 155 and 229, respectively.
Small figures but in a league where the margins are tight they are important to note.
For the League of Ireland as a whole, despite those slight drops in averages for some clubs, bigger increases elsewhere mean that even with a round of fixtures remaining 650,238 supporters have attended Premier Division games – more than the 628,094 last season.
The League of Ireland heads for 2026 capable of more growth but in most need of continued stability.
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League of Ireland slowly becoming more of a cultural experience in this country
ONE MYTH HAS already been busted in the League of Ireland this season.
Damien Duff was not the sole reason for Shelbourne’s resurgence.
On and off the pitch, they continue to thrive in his absence.
Ahead of their final home against St Patrick’s Athletic today, 76,695 supporters have already come through the turnstiles at Tolka Park.
With Joey O’Brien in charge and European football confirmed for 2026 (not to mention a league phase of the Uefa Conference League until at least Christmas), second place is not beyond the Reds.
Their average attendance is already 4,511 – up on 4,269 last year – and Tolka is close to a sell-out for this Dublin derby.
Duff was a catalyst for the Shels renaissance, of that there is no doubt, but something more permanent and powerful appears to be sustaining the momentum: community, spirit and belonging.
The Save Tolka Park campaign had already sparked some into life, engaging a fanbase which sought preservation in Drumcondra in order to shape an even stronger future.
Duff bought into the movement and added another layer of intense loyalty. It was backboned by more than just vacuous celebrity.
His presence stirred a reaction in the wider Irish sporting community too, and within the league it also felt like he was the perfect focal (you might even say vocal) point for those yearning for acceptance and validation of a lifelong commitment carried out on the fringes.
His departure as Shels boss on a Sunday morning in June threatened to derail the 2024 champions’ season completely. The defence of their crown was already effectively over and Duff felt he had nothing left to give the job.
He may have been the prism through which those on the outside judged the health of the league, but he had already helped to ignite something more substantial inside Tolka Park.
In Ireland, as across the world, it is those that click through the turnstiles who provide the spirit and soul that enriches the game. Slowly, the League of Ireland is becoming as much a cultural experience as a sporting one in this country. This is thanks to the supporters who give life to clubs and their grounds.
If football without fans is nothing, football fans without a TV subscription just get a dodgy box.
For Shels, when you take into the consideration the President’s Cup (attendance: 4,584) and four European qualifiers that all sold out with a reduced capacity of 3,665, they will break through the 100,000 mark this afternoon.
Shamrock Rovers, confirmed as champions on Wednesday night, have one more home game against Sligo Rovers today and have already passed that 100k threshold – albeit their average is down slightly from 6,071 in 2024 to 5,927 this term.
A crowd of over 8,000 is expected at Tallaght Stadium later today so that average could be matched, a sign of relative stability across the board after years of growth.
The concern, of course, is a plateau and then a level of apathy somehow creeping in. This has been a year that offers hope for the future with academy funding, a commitment from the current government that will hopefully be maintained for the course of the 11-year cycle the FAI have set out.
Shels and Rovers reaching the league phase of the Uefa Conference League is a first, and if it is to become a regular occurrence then that academy system will also have to keep up with the quality of player required.
Academies will help maintain growth here as much through producing homegrown players capable of performing at such a level as it will by bringing in millions selling off the most prized assets.
Mason Melia and Victor Ozhianvuna made headlines with record-breaking transfers to Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, while Owen Elding of Sligo Rovers will likely soon follow suit.
To replenish the squads with talents of this calibre, clubs will, of course, have to spend money.
While numbers on the bottom line don’t exactly capture the essence of any movement, they do paint a picture, and accumulative losses for League of Ireland clubs between 2022-24 stood at €20 million.
A landmark, four-year TV deal with Virgin Media will help establish a different audience but getting people into grounds remains the priority – although Rovers did earn over €7m in European prize money last season and should they and Shels progress to the knockout phase of the Conference League they will collect a similar amount again.
So far, half of clubs in the Premier Division recorded increases and decreases in average attendances on last season. Shels, Derry City, Bohemians, Drogheda United and Cork City all saw figures boosted.
The Leesiders, who still have a home game against the Candystripes today, will return to the First Division with an average of 3,125 compared to 2,876 during their promotion season.
Compared to 2023 when they also suffered relegation from the top flight, that is actually a drop from 3,637. Managerial changes and anger at owner Dermot Usher have led to protests throughout this campaign.
Bohs, with a reduced-capacity Dalymount Park until the redevelopment begins, would have maintained their 4,240 average from ’24. The record breaking 33,280 crowd at Aviva Stadium for what was their ‘home’ game with Rovers to kick off the season meant they also broke through that 100k barrier on 101,092 – an average of 5,947.
Derry owner Philip O’Doherty began planning for an increased capacity at the Ryan McBride Brandywell last year. It paid off, and their average attendance rose from 2,871 to 3,453.
Drogheda could yet earn fourth spot (enough for Europe provided Rovers beat Cork in the FAI Cup final) if they beat Bohs, and Pat’s don’t win at Tolka Park. Their average is 2,278 (2,023 in ’24).
Sligo, Waterford and Galway are all battling to avoid a place in the promotion/relegation playoff and their average attendances dropped by 55, 155 and 229, respectively.
Small figures but in a league where the margins are tight they are important to note.
For the League of Ireland as a whole, despite those slight drops in averages for some clubs, bigger increases elsewhere mean that even with a round of fixtures remaining 650,238 supporters have attended Premier Division games – more than the 628,094 last season.
The League of Ireland heads for 2026 capable of more growth but in most need of continued stability.
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