National Forum

LGFA Finals Attendance

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Has anyone wondered why such a small attendance this year , what was official ? I heard around 25,000?
Does anyone know what it was last year?

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 767 - 09/08/2024 15:16:49    2564426

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Replying To dickie10:  "Has anyone wondered why such a small attendance this year , what was official ? I heard around 25,000?
Does anyone know what it was last year?"
30,800

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1960 - 09/08/2024 18:44:41    2564449

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It was about 45,000 last year.

I'll put forward two things that might have contributed to the substantial drop:

1 - Long way for Kerry people to travel, and possibly a bridge too far for many Galway people after the disappointment (and expense!) of the men's final the previous weekend.

2 - Attendance at the finals is usually boosted by the LGFA's practice of levying every club in the country for All-Ireland tickets at the start of the year, and then clubs running buses to Croke Park to give young players a day out when the finals come round. The LGFA club in my own place had done so for every final since the club was formed a few years ago, but this year they didn't do it on account of it fell on the Bank Holiday weekend and many of the girls' families had other arrangements. Have heard that two other fairly local clubs were the same. If that was replicated across the country, could add up to a sizeable drop all right.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2622 - 09/08/2024 18:49:49    2564450

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Replying To dickie10:  "Has anyone wondered why such a small attendance this year , what was official ? I heard around 25,000?
Does anyone know what it was last year?"
The attendance was around the 30k mark.
Last year I think it was close to 45k.

The teams involved probably contribute to the drop. Galway people would have used allot of energy and money on the mens final. Kerry are a distance away. Last year, the Dubs would have brought big support. Kildare were involved also.

Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1466 - 09/08/2024 20:40:32    2564464

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ah right , it was on august bank holiday the last 3 years, i was there in 2022, attendance was 49,000. a few of us were arguing it was the biggest meath football attendance since definitley 2009 all ireland semi final but possibly longer which would have been a remarkable stat and surely not replicated by any county before or since, some were putting the meath only attendance at around 38-40,000 that day, if you were to take the kerry support and the two teams in inter and two in junior would they all combinned bring 10,000 fans, i would imagine that would be the max. i think the attendance in 2009 for meath v kerry semi final was 60,000, i was a bit shocked by that tbh, it meant at least 20,000 kerry fans travelled for a semi final they were raging hot favourites in. before 2009, the last time meath may have brought 40,000 fans to croke park wouldnt even have been 2001 semi final v kerry as the capacity was lower, it may have never have happened as mens all ireland finals you wont get 40k tickets to just one county. it could well be that the 2022 lgfa final actually mobilised the most fans ever from one county men or women. an amazing stat, but you can actually see it in the 10-15 mins after the final whistle when the other counties have departed.

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 767 - 09/08/2024 23:18:05    2564489

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Replying To Ban:  "The attendance was around the 30k mark.
Last year I think it was close to 45k.

The teams involved probably contribute to the drop. Galway people would have used allot of energy and money on the mens final. Kerry are a distance away. Last year, the Dubs would have brought big support. Kildare were involved also."
A ticket for the Ladies finals for 3 games was €30 I believe. The men's finals in late July had stand tickets @€100 for one match.

thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1879 - 09/08/2024 23:49:16    2564491

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Replying To dickie10:  "Has anyone wondered why such a small attendance this year , what was official ? I heard around 25,000?
Does anyone know what it was last year?"
There's very little interest in Ladies football among people that aren't fairly directly involved in it. That's the reality as I see it.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 3875 - 10/08/2024 10:54:50    2564510

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Replying To dickie10:  "ah right , it was on august bank holiday the last 3 years, i was there in 2022, attendance was 49,000. a few of us were arguing it was the biggest meath football attendance since definitley 2009 all ireland semi final but possibly longer which would have been a remarkable stat and surely not replicated by any county before or since, some were putting the meath only attendance at around 38-40,000 that day, if you were to take the kerry support and the two teams in inter and two in junior would they all combinned bring 10,000 fans, i would imagine that would be the max. i think the attendance in 2009 for meath v kerry semi final was 60,000, i was a bit shocked by that tbh, it meant at least 20,000 kerry fans travelled for a semi final they were raging hot favourites in. before 2009, the last time meath may have brought 40,000 fans to croke park wouldnt even have been 2001 semi final v kerry as the capacity was lower, it may have never have happened as mens all ireland finals you wont get 40k tickets to just one county. it could well be that the 2022 lgfa final actually mobilised the most fans ever from one county men or women. an amazing stat, but you can actually see it in the 10-15 mins after the final whistle when the other counties have departed."
The final last year was August 13, which wouldn't have been the Bank Holiday weekend.

Turns out it was the Bank Holiday weekend in 2022 all right (final was played on Sunday July 31, so Bank Holiday would have been the following day, Monday August 1).

The 2021 final was played in September, but IIRC, things were still affected by Covid that year anyway.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2622 - 10/08/2024 11:40:18    2564522

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The high attendance in finals was likely due to Dublin being past finals.

DuhallowRed (Cork) - Posts: 301 - 10/08/2024 13:56:45    2564531

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Replying To Pope_Benedict:  "There's very little interest in Ladies football among people that aren't fairly directly involved in it. That's the reality as I see it."
Imo the issue with most women's sports if they try way too hard to market it as being the same as mens etc rather than marketing it for what it is on it's own.

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1472 - 12/08/2024 14:55:54    2564777

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Replying To oneoff:  "Imo the issue with most women's sports if they try way too hard to market it as being the same as mens etc rather than marketing it for what it is on it's own."
Agreed

Sligojoe (Mayo) - Posts: 13 - 28/08/2024 11:24:25    2567322

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Replying To dickie10:  "ah right , it was on august bank holiday the last 3 years, i was there in 2022, attendance was 49,000. a few of us were arguing it was the biggest meath football attendance since definitley 2009 all ireland semi final but possibly longer which would have been a remarkable stat and surely not replicated by any county before or since, some were putting the meath only attendance at around 38-40,000 that day, if you were to take the kerry support and the two teams in inter and two in junior would they all combinned bring 10,000 fans, i would imagine that would be the max. i think the attendance in 2009 for meath v kerry semi final was 60,000, i was a bit shocked by that tbh, it meant at least 20,000 kerry fans travelled for a semi final they were raging hot favourites in. before 2009, the last time meath may have brought 40,000 fans to croke park wouldnt even have been 2001 semi final v kerry as the capacity was lower, it may have never have happened as mens all ireland finals you wont get 40k tickets to just one county. it could well be that the 2022 lgfa final actually mobilised the most fans ever from one county men or women. an amazing stat, but you can actually see it in the 10-15 mins after the final whistle when the other counties have departed."
I could be wrong but I think that Kerry Meath semi final was barely above 50,000. I was there that day and I'm pretty sure that was the attendance. It was a rough day weather wise, absolutely lashing rain and it impacted the game. I remember Darran O'Sullivan scored a penalty whilst slipping on the Croke park surface. Was a very poor game as a result, 2-08 to 1-07 was the final score (1-03 to 0-04 in favour of Kerry at half time) with Meath getting their goal in 2nd half injury time. Wasn't helped by Croke Park changing their pitch to a plastic style grass which really impacted footing on the wet surface.

AnFear16 (Kerry) - Posts: 39 - 29/08/2024 01:53:50    2567461

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