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Rugby spectator/popularity stats in Ireland

  • 27-03-2017 11:33am
    #1
    turnikett1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 676 ✭✭✭turnikett1


    So on the Wikipedia page it says "Gaelic Football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance, and in 2003 accounted for 34% of total sports attendances at events in the Republic of Ireland, followed by hurling at 23%, soccer at 16% and rugby at 8%"

    However that was 14 years ago, and rugby has come a long way in Ireland since and is undeniably much more popular now due to our success. Does anyone have any figures for these days? How popular it is in comparison to other sports? How much of a percentage it is of our overall sports spectating, etc...

    Interesting stuff! You can't help but notice the change in the past decade. There's more advertisements for rugby, more people to talk about it with, more who casually/seriously watch it, you see people chucking around rugby balls outside a bit more often, etc etc etc. It's nice to see. I firmly believe if rugby continues to grow in popularity Ireland can maintain a regular position in the world's top 4.


Comments

  • #2
    Amari Jolly Crown
    Posts: 0 ✭ Amari Jolly Crown


    I can remember being in half empty Donnybrook back around 2003. I'm sure provincial attendances have gone way way up, but club rugby has possibly declined. I'm sure GAA is still the most attended but when every county has one or two teams as opposed to each province having one team in rugby you're comparing apples and oranges.


  • #3
    The Lost Sheep
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,967 ✭✭✭✭The Lost Sheep


    turnikett1 wrote: »
    So on the Wikipedia page it says "Gaelic Football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance, and in 2003 accounted for 34% of total sports attendances at events in the Republic of Ireland, followed by hurling at 23%, soccer at 16% and rugby at 8%"

    However that was 14 years ago, and rugby has come a long way in Ireland since and is undeniably much more popular now due to our success. Does anyone have any figures for these days? How popular it is in comparison to other sports? How much of a percentage it is of our overall sports spectating, etc...

    Interesting stuff! You can't help but notice the change in the past decade. There's more advertisements for rugby, more people to talk about it with, more who casually/seriously watch it, you see people chucking around rugby balls outside a bit more often, etc etc etc. It's nice to see. I firmly believe if rugby continues to grow in popularity Ireland can maintain a regular position in the world's top 4.
    There is more advertisement as there is more rugby at higher level and the provinces and Ireland are much more successful.
    But despite this and the fact numbers playing at age grade are higher than ever before numbers playing at adult level are struggling in many areas.
    Rugby would still be fourth behind gaelic, soccer and hurling but very close to hurling
    Check irish sports council as they will certainly have much more up to date figures.


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