New research has been revelaed that examines the public’s attitudes towards attending female sports, with findings revealing that 59% of Irish people have never attended a live women’s sporting event.  

Lidl and the LGFA’s new campaign to increase attendances comes as the 2024 Lidl National League campaign is about to get underway, which gives ample opportunities for the public to attend top class female sport in every county in the country over the coming weeks. There are four fixtures in Division 4 next Sunday, as Kilkenny, Leitrim, Limerick, Wicklow, Fermanagh, Longford, Derry and Carlow commence their campaigns.  

Saturday January 20th marks the start of the Division 1 campaign and it will begin with a bang as 2023 TG4 All-Ireland Finalists Dublin and Kerry will meet at Parnell Park (5.15pm) in a live TG4 fixture. This is the battle of the champions as Kerry, the reigning National League Division 1 holders, meet Dublin, the TG4 All-Ireland winners in 2023. A large attendance is expected at Parnell Park to kickstart a weekend that will also see the Divisions 2 and 3 campaigns get underway, while Round 2 fixtures in Division 4 are also down for decision.  

The 2024 Lidl National Leagues conclude across the weekend of Saturday/Sunday April 6th/7th. The Divisions 3 and 4 Finals will be streamed live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube page on Saturday April 6th, followed by live TV coverage of the Divisions 1 and 2 Finals from Croke Park on Sunday April 7th.  

The research commissioned by Lidl and carried out by Red C in December 2023 has also revealed that, despite 42% of people stating an interest in attending a female sporting event and three quarters (74%) thinking it is a shame that people don’t attend, more than half (59%) of the population admit they have never attended a live female sporting event compared to just over a quarter (29%) having never attended a live men’s event. 

Going head-to-head, Irish people are five times more likely to attend a premier men’s event in person than an equivalent premier female event, with almost half (46%) saying that men’s sport is generally better to watch. A staggering 59% of Irish people said they would prefer to watch men’s sport on TV than attend a live female sporting event. 

Out of the 25% of the population who do attend live female sporting events, spectators are more likely to be male (57%) than female (43%) and aged between 35-54-years. Parents of participating children are also more active in attending female fixtures.   

Lack of media coverage is perceived to negatively affect public awareness and support, with some 40% stating this as a reason for non-attendance at live women’s events. Almost two thirds (65%) of people think women’s sport does not get enough media coverage in Ireland and 83% agree that men’s sport is covered more comprehensively.  

Other barriers to attending female sports events included venues not being easy to get to (37%), not knowing anyone that is playing (34%) and ticket prices being too high (34%) but perceptions and unconscious bias around women’s sport in Ireland continue to be key barriers.  

Almost half of Irish people (46%) believe that men’s sport is generally better to watch than women’s sport. Whilst Irish people perceive women’s sports in Ireland to be high quality and skilful, they think it’s less exciting or competitive than men’s sports and over a third (38%) think that the standard of play isn’t high enough to justify attendance at live matches.  

Establishing connections with individual sports stars is seen to be a key driver of support but half of people think there is a lack of Irish female sporting heroes. When asked which Irish female sports stars they can name, almost half of respondents said Katie Taylor, having recently been awarded ‘Ireland’s Most Admired’ sportsperson for the seventh consecutive year, however less than 1 in 10 people were able to name any other Irish female sporting stars unprompted.   

 

Lidl Ireland Research: Attitudes to Attending Female Sporting Events 2024 – Key Findings 

Decision-making: attending male or female sports events 

59% would watch a men's sports event on TV over attending a female sports event in person 

(49% for women / 70% for men)  

52% would choose to attend a male sports event over an equivalent female sports event 

54% of those that attend female sports events would attend a male event over a female event 

9% would choose to attend a female sports event over an equivalent male sports event 

31% would bring a child to a men’s sports event over a female sports event 

15% would bring a child to a women’s sports event over a male sports event 

Attendance at female or male sports events 

59% have never attended a female sports event in Ireland 

29% have never attended a male sports event in Ireland 

27% have attended over 20 male sports events in Ireland 

42% are interested in attending female sports events in Ireland 

57% are interested in attending male sports events in Ireland 

Barriers impacting decision to attend female sports events 

41% not knowing or hearing about the event 

37% venue is not easy to get to 

34% ticket price is too high 

34% not knowing anyone who is playing 

Important factors in deciding to attend a female sports event 

74% reasonable entry price 

72% knowing and understanding the rules of the sport 

69% easily accessible sports ground 

Perception of Female Sport as a Product 

53% High Quality                21% Low Quality                 26% Don’t Know 

66% Skilful                           15% Lacking Skill                20% Don’t Know 

53% Exciting                        21% Boring                          26% Don’t Know 

Perception of who makes more sacrifices to participate in sport  

35% women 

12% men 

43% both equal 

10% don’t know 

Information sources for those interested in attending female sports events (male in brackets) 

42% Social media (44%) 

36% Friends/family (43%) 

31% Sporting body website (36%) 

21% Newspaper sports section (27%) 

20% Local sports club (21%) 

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