In 2014, the UK spent around €940 million on football tourists. On average, around 800,000 football tourists spent €1,176 per person during their visit.

In few countries is football a big draw for overseas visitors like in the UK. With some legendary football clubs, great players and famous stadiums capturing the imagination of football fans, hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the UK every year to watch football live.

Almost a billion
Data from the Office for National Statistics (the UK’s CBS partner in our country) and Visit Britain shows that in 2014, around 800,000 foreigners attended a football match during their visit to the UK. This is around 50,000 more than in 2010. This group of tourists brings in a lot of money for the country – football tourists spend an average of €1,176 (£885) per person during their visit to the UK. This equates to a total of €940 million – 15% more than in 2010. By comparison, tourists who travel to the UK without attending a football match spend less during their visit – an average of €834 (£628).

Origin of tourists
Ireland is the country of origin of the largest number of football tourists – around 121,000. Norway is second with 93,000 visitors coming to watch football, and Sweden is third with 58,000 visitors. The top five overseas markets for English football are followed by the United States with 53,000 visitors and the Netherlands in fifth place. In 2014, 43,000 people crossed from our country to the UK to attend football matches. Combined, the top 10 countries account for 68% of the total number of football tourists.

The most popular among UK football tourism are London’s football stadiums – almost half of all matches attended are held in the English capital. Major attractions include Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, Wembley (national team, some cup matches), Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane and Fulham FC’s Craven Cottage. Manchester’s stadiums are also successful with overseas visitors, with Manchester United’s Old Trafford attracting more visitors than Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. Liverpool’s Anfield is third with 99,000 visitors.