New research has shown 59 per cent of of Irish people have never attended a live women’s sporting event.
The research was carried by Red C in December 2023, ahead of the 2024 Ladies Football season, with the league campaign set to get underway later this month.
Despite 59 per cent of people revealing they have never attended a women's sporting event, 74 per cent it is a shame more people don't attend, with 42 per cent of people stating an interest in attending a female sporting event.
Out of the 25 per cent of the population who do attend live female sporting events, 57 per cent of the spectators are more likely to be men.
Lack of media coverage to raise awareness of female sport is seen as the main reason for non-attendance at events, with 40 per cent of people citing this as their reason.
65 per cent of people claim think women’s sport does not get enough media coverage in Ireland and 83 per cent agree that men’s sport is covered more comprehensively.
46 per cent of people say that men’s sport is generally better to watch than women’s sport, with 38 per cent of people claiming the standard of women's sport isn’t high enough to justify attendance at live matches.
Half of people in the survey also said there is a lack of Irish female sporting heroes, with less than 1 in 10 people unable to name any other Irish female sporting stars aside from Katie Taylor.
J.P. Scally, CEO Lidl Ireland, said, “Lidl is committed to supporting the growth of Ladies Football and the broader community of female athletes participating in sport across the country.
"The research has revealed some pretty stark perceptions about female sport in Ireland and the aim of this campaign is to tackle those head on and break through the bias to showcase the incredible skill of players and quality of gameplay and the potential that the game has to deliver for fans with more support behind it."
