Fancy a pint before kick-off? The best stadiums for a pre-match pint in the League of Ireland have been revealed.
For many, matchday is about so much more than just football. It is a day to meet friends and family, a day steeped in tradition and ritual.
One thing that combines meeting place and ritual is the pub, and, as such, many matchdays involve a quick visit to the local pub for a pint or two.
With that in mind, a study has revealed the best stadiums in the League of Ireland for a pre-match pint.
The study – for the love of the beautiful game
The study, carried out by gambling.com, measured two main data points. Firstly, it considered the number of pubs within half a mile of the stadium. Secondly, it averaged a score of the pubs’ ratings on Google Maps.
Gambling.com then came to a conclusive (albeit, seemingly arbitrary) overall score for the pre-match pint.
Dublin Derby – who came out on top in the capital?
Dublin is home to some fine pubs, and, with half of the league’s ten teams coming from Ireland’s capital, there is little surprise that the top three spaces are occupied by Dublin stadiums.
Dalymount Park, home of the league’s fourth most successful team, Bohemians, took the top spot. The north Dublin stadium has 11 pubs within a 0.5-mile radius, with an average Google rating of 4.5 stars. This led to an overall score of 7.8 for Dalymount Park.
St Patrick’s Athletic’s Richmond Park came second on the list. St Pats may be narrowly ahead of Bohs in the league table as it stands, but they fall far behind on the pre-match pints. Their seven nearby pubs, with an average rating of 4.4, could only muster an overall 5.7.
Tolka Park completed the top three. Shelbourne’s home stadium counts on 6 local pubs with an average score of 4.2.
Meanwhile, current champions and leaders Shamrock Rovers might be the league’s most successful side, but they rank joint-last with UCD for pre-match pints. Both clubs managed a lowly 2.6 overall score.
The rest of Ireland – how the nation’s other stadiums fared
Dublin clubs dominate the league and therefore the list, but just how did the rest of the League of Ireland stadiums perform?
The best stadium for a pre-match pint outside of Dublin is Derry City’s Brandywell. The former stomping ground of Irish footballing legend James McClean scored an overall total of 4.9 to place fourth.
Dundalk’s Oriel Park and Drogheda United’s United Park made up fifth and sixth with close scores of 4.3 and 4.2. The home of Sligo Rovers – the Showgrounds – completed the list with a score of 3.8 thanks to its 3 local pubs with an average score of 4.5.
The table can be viewed at gambling.com.
