New football rules bring the crowds back

The 2025 All-Ireland Football Championship attracted over one million spectators, an increase of 20% on last year.

In the Football Review Committee's final report, which recommends some further tweaks to the rules for 2026, it was revealed that the total attendance figure was 1.029 million, up from 858,459 in 2024. While the figure was boosted by the resurgence of counties like Meath and Louth, there is little doubt that the new rules were the main reason for the increase.

Allianz League attendances were also up by 25% from 379,171 in 2024 to 510,697 this year. This figure doesn't include 975,585 in juvenile ticket sales which were controversially introduced in 2025.