Football fans go into extra time
- Average fan spends 15.8 hours a week following the game
- And Man Utd fans are the most dedicated
The Premiership is back and fans will be going into extra time spending an average 15.8 hours a week following the game, new research* from Virgin Money shows. After a summer trying to be interested in cricket, tennis or the Tour de France fans will be going back to work this weekend.
It’s more than just a game for the average fan – there’s all the extra hours racked up travelling to and from the match, watching TV, searching the internet and talking about the game with friends. That all adds up to 15.8 hours a week on average or 821.6 hours a year.
And 15.8 hours a week is only the average – around seven per cent of fans admit to spending more than 40 hours a week on football which is more than the average working week. Around a quarter of fans spend more than 20 hours a week following their team.
Man Utd fans are the most dedicated – or obsessed – putting in an average 19.2 hours a week following their club. Everton, Middlesbrough and Bolton fans are a bit more relaxed only putting in 12.8 hours, 12.9 hours and 13.3 hours respectively.
Virgin Money spokesman John Franklin said: “The game might only last 90 minutes on the day but the average fan puts in plenty of extra time following their team.
“Some fans might think 15.8 hours a week doesn’t sound a lot – and there are plenty of supporters who spend more than 40 hours a week. However it does equate to around two working days a week following football.
“Dedicated fans invest a lot of money into the game and now we know they also invest a lot of time as well. It may be only a game but it certainly takes up a lot of time and effort.”
Virgin Money’s Football Fans’ Price Index shows that in the past year the cost of attending games has risen by 17.8 per cent. The index is aimed at helping supporters keep track of the rises and falls in the costs of supporting their team. The company identified the match-day essentials fans buy and keeps tabs on increases and decreases.
At the launch of the index last year the matchday basket of goods cost £77.95 and now it’s £91.87 – a rise of £13.92 or 17.8 per cent. An increase in the cost of matchday tickets and replica shirts are the main reasons behind the increase.
Virgin Money’s Football Fans’ Prices Index runs every three months and looks at the cost of a typical basket of goods monitoring the ups and downs of prices.
The firm’s research team examines the cost of items such as a gallon of petrol; match tickets; food; alcohol; train tickets and replica shirts. The index was launched on January 31st 2006.
Notes to editors:
- Football Fans’ Census interviewed a representative sample of 2,013 football fans between 10th – 19th April 2007
- The basket of goods includes a gallon of petrol, a pint of lager, a bacon roll, a train fare, a match ticket, a replica shirt, pay-per-view cost and a match programme.
For further information
John Franklin, PR Manager, Virgin Money
Tel: 01603 215909
Kevan Reilly/Billy Partridge/George Ullstein, Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Tel: 0207 638 9571
About Virgin Money:
- Virgin Money is Virgin’s financial services arm and was established in 1995.
- Virgin Money has over two million customers and offers a wide range of financial products across lending (e.g. credit cards and personal loans), savings (e.g. deposits, investments and pensions) and protection (e.g. life insurance, home insurance and car insurance) to the UK market.
Virgin Money Personal Financial Service Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered office: Discovery House, Whiting Road, Norwich NR4 6EJ. Registered in England No. 3072766. Entered on the Financial Services Authority's register number 179271.
About The Football Fans’ Census:
The Football Fans Census is Europe’s leading football research expert. With over 100,000 members The FFC provides a communication channel between the supporter and the football industry.
