Ticketing software company Future Ticketing has predicted that attendances will top one million across League of Ireland football grounds this season.
The 2023 season begins this Friday and Future Ticketing’s partner clubs are projecting an increase in gate receipts of between 15% and 20%, which would be another record year in the history of the league.
With the increase in gate receipts, as many as 800,000 fans could be passing through the turnstiles for games in the League of Ireland Premier and First Divisions. With the additional attendances of up to 200,000 at cup, European and the Women’s Premier Division thrown into the mix, the one million figure is in reach.
Future Ticketing has also said that season ticket orders are up to 20% ahead of 2022, with 20,000 football fans securing their seats for the year, in advance.
Premier Division clubs that are in partnership with Future Ticketing include Bohemians, Derry City, Drogheda United, Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, Sligo Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic. First Division clubs include Bray Wanderers, Finn Harps, Galway United, Kerry FC, Longford Town and Treaty United.
Future Ticketing chief executive Liam Holton (pictured) said: “These are boom times for League of Ireland football and a definite pattern of rapid growth can be seen in season ticket sales and that points to record attendances throughout the coming year.
“The clubs must be applauded for embracing our online ticketing service and we are proud to share the journey with them during this remarkable digital transformation. The clubs must be applauded for embracing our online ticketing service and we are proud to share the journey with them during this remarkable digital transformation.
“All of the clubs have willingly bought into our vision of how our unique digital platform can enable them to further engage customers, provide a first class experience online and at the turnstile and increase attendance figures. The year-on-year growth is a reflection of that.”