SSE Airtricity League of Ireland games could lure one million fans in the coming season, Irish software developer Future Ticketing predicts.
The Irish league’s 2023 season kicks off on Friday with several opening games already sold out.
Co Offaly-based Future Ticketing, which provides ticketing software to many of the competition’s clubs, calculates on current trends that a record one million fans could pass through the turnstiles this year.
The company’s partner clubs, including Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, Derry City, Drogheda and Sligo Rovers, forecast a 15 per cent to 20 per cent increase in gate receipts.
Council to run the rule over Portobello house revival as Hugh Wallace deviates from the plan
Cathy Gannon: ‘I used to ride my pony to school, tie him up and ride him back’
The Guildford Four’s Paddy Armstrong: ‘People thought I was going to be bitter and twisted when I came out of prison’
Plane-spotters unite: A trip into the high-altitude universe of ‘AvGeeks’
“This means as many as 800,000 fans could be passing through the turnstiles for games in the League of Ireland Premier and First Divisions,” said the company on Wednesday.
Irish jewellery designer Chupi: 'The divorce ring is a whole new category'
Chupi Sweetman is the Irish jewellery designer on a mission to disrupt the diamond industry. The founder and CEO of her eponymous brand has just secured €3.75m in investment to fuel her global ambitions. She speaks about industry trends, removing Russian diamonds from her supply chain and how blockchain will help secure the provenance of her heirloom jewellery. Also in this episode, Barry O'Halloran reports on the yawning gap between what multinationals are paying for energy compared to domestic Irish businesses.
Adding potential attendances of almost 200,000 at cup, European and SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division puts the one million figure within reach, it adds.
Liam Holton, Future Ticketing chief executive, says season ticket sales indicate a boom year for the Irish league.
“What we’re seeing is definitely a very positive trend where there is a growing appreciation of how our proactive model benefits our partners,” he adds.
Headquartered in Tullamore, with offices in Manchester and Glasgow, Future Ticketing develops software that allows businesses sell digital tickets directly to customers through their own websites, rather than through an agent.
It has customers in horse racing, football, rugby, cricket, outdoor events, tourism and live entertainment.
