In 2024 attendances at men’s and women’s League of Ireland and European games broke the million mark for the first time ever with a total attendance figure of 1,001,630 fans going to watch games. Attendances at women’s games are very low, but most of the clubs in the men’s Premier Division got full houses last season. In 2023 we saw an increase of 20 per cent and the same again last year. Nobody can fully explain the reasons for this steady increase in attendances at League of Ireland games which is now similar to the halcyon days of 1950s and ‘60s when games were played on Sunday afternoons. It does look like soccer fans who were confined to their homes during Covid decided to come out and watch games again when the pandemic ended.
When the new 4th stand was opened in Tallaght Stadium last year the capacity of the stadium was increased to just over 10,000, but as Rovers had what for them was a poor enough season, the four stands were rarely all full. The other Dublin clubs — Shelbourne, Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic — sold out their small grounds where the attendances were between 4,000 and 5,000. It was much the same with the Premier Division clubs in Drogheda, Dundalk, Galway, Sligo and Waterford. So if we had larger stadia what kind of crowds would we get? Well, Bohemians are going to test the market on Sunday when they play their first game of the season against Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva Stadium in Ballsbridge. Already over 20,000 tickets have been sold and depending on the weather next weekend we could see a record attendance for a League of Ireland game. We had a record 43,881 attendance for the FAI Cup final between Bohemians and St Pat’s in 2023, but cup finals are always special and can attract some neutral supporters. Rovers were also involved in the last high profile League of Ireland game almost 35 years ago when they attracted an estimated crowd of 22,000 to the RDS for their game against St. Pat’s in September 1990. We also had an estimated 28,000 at Dalymount for a League play-off, in 1971, between Cork Hibernians and Rovers.
NEW RULES
WORKING
So far there has been a very positive response to the new experiment rules in Gaelic football. There will be a review at the end of the National League campaign and if only a few of the new rules are kept for the championship then I think we could see more exciting football later in the year. The big plus is the rule that a team must keep three players beyond midfield, which aims to get rid of blanket defending. It means that the opposition have to keep three players back to mark those players. And the awarding of two points for a score kicked from outside the 45-meter arch is another good one. We saw a great example of two-point scores from Galway’s Shane Walsh against Mayo two weeks back. Every time Galway went on the attack they seemed to score two-pointers, while Mayo had nobody to kick a score from outside the 45-metre arch.
Mayo and Derry have yet to pick up a point in Division One. On Saturday next Derry are home to Galway, while on Sunday Tyrone travel to MacHale Park to play Mayo. Old rivals Kerry and Dublin are sure to get a full house under the lights at Austin Stack Park, Tralee on Saturday night, while Donegal play All-Ireland champions Armagh in Ballybofey on Sunday afternoon. In Division 2 Roscommon and Monaghan are the only counties with maximum points after the first two series of games. The Rossies, who are sporting an attractive new hooped-style jersey this season, will be expected to get the points when the counties meet at Dr. Hyde Park on Sunday.
SIX SUBS, SAYS
MCGUINNESS
Donegal football manager Jim McGuinness believes that the new rules should allow for teams to use six substitutes in games rather than five. McGuinness was speaking after his team’s recent win over Dublin in the National League, pointing to the fact that the Dubs lost three of their players to hamstring injuries over the 70 minutes. McGuinness said: ‘‘I felt for Dublin. They lost three players with hamstrings. I think that’s definitely something that has to be looked at. Peadar Mogan would be one of our fitter lads and he was really struggling at the end and we had the five subs on and we couldn't get him off. In the first document the Football Review Committee published there were six subs and I saw that and thought that would be good and would take a bit of pressure off.’’ Meanwhile former Kildare footballer and GAA performance analyst Brian Lacey says that the duration of inter-county games should be reduced from 70 to 60 minutes as happens in club games. Due to various stoppages under the new rules an inter-county footballer could now be on the field for up to 80 minutes.
PARLON LIKES
HIS NEW JOB
Recently appointed Offaly GAA County Board Chairman Tom Parlon says that the new job is probably the first one that he really loves. The Coolderry clubman was president of the Irish Farmers’ Association, later becoming a T.D. and serving as a Minister for State, before finishing up as director general of the Construction Industry Federation. The 71-year-old was winding down until outgoing Offaly County Board Chairman Michael Duignan asked him if he would be interested in replacing the former hurler as chairman. Parlon said: ‘‘It’s a big role with big responsibility and I am delighted to have it. It gives me something to do and it’s probably the first job that I really love. I did enjoy my job as IFA president, but other roles and being a T.D. and Minister was tough. It’s early days yet but there has been massive goodwill shown so far towards Offaly GAA and towards me for taking on the job.’’
SCHMIDT TO QUIT
AUSSIES IN 2025
Former Irish Rugby head coach Joe Schmidt will leave his post as Australia head coach in October following the conclusion of this year’s Rugby Championship involving the Aussies, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina. Schmidt, who assumed the role in the wake of the Wallabies’ disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign, will be in charge for the upcoming Lions Tour in the summer, but will depart in advance of the November series. Australian Rugby’s Head of the High Performance Peter Horne, who will lead the search for a successor, said that the native New Zealander Schmidt was looking to spend more at home with his family.
