Looking at match attendance figures, social media interactions and sports merchandise sales across various teams in the EFL and the NFL, the team at Betting.com can reveal which English football teams have the most devoted fans.
Manchester United Fans Crowned the Most Devoted
The research reveals that Manchester United fans are more than ready to show off their team spirit – ranking first as the most devoted fans.
The famous red and white uniform is the top-selling home shirt for the 20/21 season, and not only that, the club has the biggest social media following out of all the teams in the league. With over 165 million followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Man-U fans are eager for the latest player update.
Despite the huge online following, it’s clear that Manchester United fans aren’t afraid to criticise their team on social media either, with only 27% of their social media mentions being positive. It may come as a surprise, that the League Two Team, Forest Green Rovers (who rank in 39th place overall) have the most positive online supporters – with 67% of their social media mentions being positive.
Chelsea follows in second place. Even with the uncertainty of the club ownership, fans have stuck around and united together to support the Blues. Ready to cheer for their team wherever they are, the club have the second-highest average away attendance, after Crystal Palace, in the whole EFL (39,707 and 40,192 respectively).
Liverpool has garnered a huge online following and ranks third as the team with the most devoted fans. With over 10 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, it’s safe to say their fans are passionate about keeping up with the latest news from their favourite team.
Despite having the third-largest online followings (behind Man-U and Chelsea), Liverpool has the most eager fans out of the 20 PL teams when it comes to filling the stadium. The Reds have the highest average capacity of 117% for their home games! Their devotion to watching their team was further highlighted in the Champions League final at the end of May, where many fans travelled to Paris to support their team.
Newly crowned champions of the Premier League, Manchester City, rank in 5th place. Besides having the fourth-highest average away attendance (39,563) and the fifth top-selling shirt, the team also has over 86 million followers on social media. It will be interesting to see if these figures change when we head into the new season later this year, after the summer break.
The Most Devoted Football Fans in Each League
Not only do Manchester United have the most devoted fan base overall, but they also have the most dedicated fans in the Premier League. With Sheffield United earning the title for the Champions League, Ipswich Town topping the table for League One and Bradford City for League Two.
Ipswich Town’s fans are more than ready to dress up in their club colours for support. Despite being in a lower League, The Tractor Boys have bought more home shirts than Sheffield United fans (ranking 17th for the most shirts sold and 24th respectively).
Arsenal is the Most Expensive Team to Support
Football can be an expensive form of entertainment, footy fans up and down the country can spend hundreds every year while supporting their team inside the stands.
By analysing the average cost of a kit, match day tickets, a pint of beer, a cup of tea, a pie and a programme we were able to reveal which Premier League is the most expensive to support.
The most expensive Premier League team to be a fan of is, perhaps unsurprisingly, Arsenal, where the total cost to attend a match and enjoy all of the fixings such as a pie, beer and programme at The Emirates stadium sets fans back £144.66.
Gooners planning a trip to the Emirate Stadium can expect to splash out a whopping £62 on average for a match day ticket – that’s 1.5 times more than the average amount (£43) and 2.1 times more than the Aston Villa (£30) – who have the least expensive match day ticket. Yet, it’s West Ham fans who are forking out the most money to watch a match – with the average ticket costing £65.
The least expensive Premier League team to be a fan of is Leeds United, the total cost to attend a match day is an affordable £82.40, more than £20 cheaper than the average £109.20.
Fans will also find that some of the food and drink at Elland Road is cheaper than the average, with a pint of beer costing just £3.60 and a pie costing £3.10. In comparison, the average cost of a pint at a Premier League stadium is £4.08.
On average (with the cost of drinks, food, a match programme, team kit and a match day ticket), a Premier League fan can expect to spend around £109 for a day out at the footy.
However, the cost is likely much higher in reality, with many fans going to the pub before and/or after the game, which will result in additional expenditure. If you’re supporting your club at an away game, additional costs such as transport and sometimes even accommodation will drive the total cost up more.
Dallas Cowboys Fanbase Named the Most Devoted NFL Fans
According to our research, the Dallas Cowboys have the most devoted fans compared to the rest of the teams in the NFL.
Supporters of the Dallas Cowboys are more than ready to show up for their favourite teams they not only have the highest average capacity for home games (115%) and the third-highest away attendance figures (70,316), the Dallas Cowboys also rank in the top spot for jersey sales.
Despite having the most Facebook followers (almost eight million), only 29% of this team’s social media interactions are positive, which is much lower than the Green Bay Packers, which come in second place.
The Cheeseheads rank second as the most devoted NFL fans. Though the Green Bay have fewer followers on social media than the Dallas Cowboys, more than half (54%) of their total interactions on social media are positive, which is the highest percentage of positive mentions out of every NFL team we analysed.
Rounding off the top three, the New England Patriots have a very committed fanbase. Despite a lower ranking in the number of jerseys sold (19th) this team has the highest number of Instagram and Twitter followers at 4.6 million each.
Social media has made sports even more accessible and helped introduce the game to new fans. Not only that, but it has also allowed fans to get that extra insight into their favourite team and players – building a personal connection that makes their support all that much stronger.
Where does your team rank on these lists?
