The League of Ireland contributes €164 million to the Irish economy per season, a new report has found.
As the final matches of the league approach tonight, chartered accountancy firm BDO Ireland has published the first ever independent report into the League of Ireland’s economic impact.
It found that the peak viewership for the league has doubled since 2021 and that the organisation now employs 1,600 people.
‘Delighted’
On Breakfast Briefing this morning, League of Ireland Director Mark Scanlon said they are “delighted” with the report.
“The information that BDO worked off comes directly from our club licensing process, where each of the clubs have to submit their financial accounts on an annual basis, and the rest of the data then comes from the fan surveys, as well as the modelling for the indirect spend that comes via the League of Ireland,” he said.
Mr Scanlon said the direct fan survey investigated how much each fan spent on match day – adding up to €49 per fan per match, which includes transport and meals.
He said on an annual basis, fans are spending on average €165 per year on merchandise as well.
Mr Scanlon said he thinks the overall Government spending on sport is “a positive”.
“Any spend on sport, when you see young people out participating, is obviously good for health and social needs,” he said.
“We developed an ambitious facilities investment strategy last year, from grassroots into League of Ireland and including our international teams as well.
“That’s something we’re thankful to the Government for this year with the increase in sports capital grants and hopefully some good news to come in terms of the large scale sports infrastructure fund.
“So, that’s a trend that we’d love to see continue in the future, and hopefully there will be further investment in the football and all sports.”
Launch of the BDO report into the economic impact of the League of Ireland. 30/10/2024 Photo by Brendan Moran/SportsfileMr Scanlon said training facilities are an “important part of the issue” that “needs to be solved” – especially in terms of getting women involved in sports.
“Certainly from a lot of our clubs, in terms of rent and pitches across the country, or having short term leases, it’s made it difficult to apply for some of the grants that would be required to upgrade the facilities,” he said.
“We have had a huge increase, particularly in the area of female participation, with the success of the Women’s National Team qualifying for the World Cup in Australia and hopefully for the next European Championships in Switzerland as well.”
Shelbourne players Sean Boyd, Liam Burt and John Martin. 25/10/2024; Photo by Seb Daly/SportsfileMr Scanlon said the league’s climax tonight is a “difficult one to call”.
“If we look at the course of the rest of the season, over the previous 35 games, it’s been unpredictable, so I can certainly see a few more twists and turns happening tonight before one of the teams manage to get their hands on the trophy,” he said.
Last week, the League of Ireland announced their partnership with Premier Sports on a new streaming service, which provides a further 500 games to fans over the course of the season.
Main image: Shamrock Rovers’ player Josh Honohan and Shelbourne player John O’Sullivan. 6/10/2024 Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile