LGFA urged to take risks in bid to boost attendances

The LGFA have been urged to take risks and "think outside the box" as they launch an initiative to increase spectator numbers at the upcoming Lidl Ladies National Football League.

A poll commissioned by the competitions' sponsors found that 59% of Irish people have never attended a female sports event, and are five times more likely to go to a male sporting event over an equivalent female sporting event.

Out of the 25% of the population who do attend live female sporting events, attendees are more likely to be male (57%) than female (43%) and aged between 35-54, according to the poll.

As part of the 'Get Behind the Fight' campaign, several key speakers will attend Wednesday's league launch at Croke Park.

Among them is Lindsay Peterson, the director of operations for the Nebraska volleyball programme in the USA. Peterson was one of the driving forces behind last August's clash between Nebraska Huskers and Omaha 3-0 at Memorial Stadium, which was attended by over 92,000 fans - a record figure for a women's sporting event.

The current record attendance in Ireland is 56,114 - the figure for the 2019 TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Gaelic football finals. The record attendance at a women's soccer match was set last September, when 35,944 spectators watched the Republic of Ireland beat Northern Ireland 3-0 at the Aviva Stadium.

Peterson says barriers can be broken with ambition and a willingness to take risks.

"It takes some risk and it takes people to kind of go outside the box, to be willing to think about what they can do to make the fan experience worth getting fans out there," she told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

"They've got to leave the event one, impressed with the product on the field or court; and two, remembering their experience at the