Who are Ireland’s most followed football teams?

Every weekend the ferries and planes leaving Belfast and Dublin are jam-packed with Celtic, Rangers, Liverpool, and Manchester United fans.

The fact that these fans are choosing overseas teams instead of their local clubs was understandable, to a point, a few decades ago when the standards of both of the top leagues in Ireland weren’t great.

That isn’t the case anymore though and has been showcased recently by both Shamrock Rovers and Larne qualifying for the Europa Conference League. Whilst neither will feature as highly in the sports betting outrights as Chelsea, the fact that both have made it to the Group Stage of a major European competition is encouraging for domestic football.

Who though, are the top dogs when it comes to fan base on the island of Ireland? Is Larne’s recent success matched by their fan following? Or does Dublin rule the roost when it comes to the country’s biggest football clubs?

Read on to find out as we run down the 5 best-supported clubs in Ireland…

5. Glentoran

It’s a rough time to be a Glens fan. The Belfast based club haven’t won the Irish League since they pipped bitter rivals Linfield to the title by a point in 2009. 

In Europe it has been a similar story of woe with the historic draws against Rangers and Benfica and the famous victories over Arsenal and Basel of the sixties and seventies giving way to first round exits at the hands of Gzira United, The New Saints and HB Torshavn in recent years.

Still, it hasn’t put fans off from heading down to The Oval and cheering on the team, with the Glens racking up the highest average home attendance in the Irish League last season. 

Even on trips to lowly Loughgall and Ballymacash Rangers last year, Glens fans turned out in their numbers to support the team, making them the fifth most followed team in Ireland.

4. Shelbourne

Similarly to Glentoran, The Shels have been on a bit of a barren spell when it comes to top tier success with their last title coming in 2006. Damien Duff is the man tasked with bringing the good times back to Tolka Park and, if anything, has put the club back on the map with his intriguing post-match interviews of late.

Last season the club averaged just over 3,500 at home games as they went on to finish fourth. At the time of writing Duff’s men sit top of the table with a four point lead over Derry City. With the good times seemingly just around the corner, Tolka Park has been welcoming over 4,000 most weeks this season, which is enough to make Shelbourne the fourth most followed team in Ireland.

3. Bohemians

The Bohs are probably the most famous team in Ireland in terms of overseas engagement, with the Dublin based club being the first many foreigners think of when it comes to Irish football. Their star has waned in recent years though.

Last season’s 6th placed finish was well below the standard Dublin’s Originals demand of themselves, but still the fans came out in force to cheer on the team. Though not in as high a number as the following two clubs…

2. St. Patrick’s Athletic

Former national team manager Stephen Kenny is the current man in the dugout at Richmond Park and unfortunately, he seems to be doing just about as good a job with the Saints as he did with the Republic.

Last season’s third-placed finish has been followed up with a disappointing campaign so far that sees the Inchicore team languishing in 7th. As seems to be the theme of this article so far though, the fans have remained loyal to the team with four-and-a-half-thousand turning out at Richmond Park each week.

1. Shamrock Rovers

The North’s European representatives attract crowds of around the 1,200 figure every week. Meanwhile the South’s European representatives, and the most followed club in Ireland, average around 6,000 at the Tallaght Stadium each week.

It’s easy to see why too, with the Hoops winning the league title in each of the past four seasons and reaching the Group Stages of a European competition for the second time in 14 years. So, the title of Ireland’s Most Followed Football Club goes to… Shamrock Rovers!!!