Association Football In The Republic Of Ireland
Association football, more usually known as football or soccer, is the team sport with the highest level of participation in the Republic of Ireland (with five-a-side games being included). It is also the third most popular spectator sport overall with 16% of total attendances at sports events, behind only Gaelic football (34%) and hurling (23%). The national governing body for the sport is the Football Association of Ireland, which runs the national football team and the League of Ireland, which is the top level of the sport in the country. The term "football" is used interchangeably in Ireland between association football, the country's national sport Gaelic football and Rugby union.
In its earliest days, association football was largely confined to the city of Dublin and its surrounding county. Gradually it became more widespread throughout the country, to the point where in the modern day there are clubs in all of the counties of Ireland. Currently, average league attendances at matches in the League of Ireland is around 2,000. Many of the country's top players move to leagues outside of the country, particularly the Premier League in England, which is one of the reasons why significant numbers of locals follow clubs in that league.
The sport is played at all levels in the country. The national team's performance in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals is their best to date.
Read more about Association Football In The Republic Of Ireland: History, League System, Cup Competitions, Qualification For European Competitions, Republic of Ireland National Team, Women's Game, Stadiums Used For Football in The Republic of Ireland
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