One in six fans will back Capello's England

Around one in six football fans plan to back England at Wembley this season in their World Cup qualifying games under new manager Fabio Capello, according to research from Virgin Money.

The nationwide survey of fans including club season ticket holders and supporters who regularly go to games shows 16 per cent plan to travel to Wembley despite the recent poor run by the national team which was brought to an end by the 4-1 away win in Croatia.

Virgin Money's Football Fans' Inflation Index, which has been tracking the costs of being a supporter since January 2006, shows costs have increased 21 per cent in the past three months alone, taking the cost of a match day for an individual to £106.21 - the first time the index has broken the £100 barrier. Since the index began costs have risen by more than 36 per cent.

That has fed through to 26 per cent of football fans planning to cut back on live games this season to save cash, Virgin Money says.

However financial worries are not yet damaging attendances at Wembley, the research shows, despite previous poor performances. England World Cup qualifiers at Wembley this season include Kazakhstan on October 11th followed by Ukraine on April 1st and Andorra on June 10th 2009.

The research shows Spurs fans are the most likely to support England at Wembley this season - 24 per cent of them plan to travel compared with the national average of 16 per cent. Other London clubs including West Ham and Fulham also show high levels of support.

Liverpool, Stoke and West Brom fans also score above average while Newcastle supporters with the longest journeys also show high levels of support. Bolton fans are the least likely to be at Wembley at 11 per cent.

Virgin Money's Scott Mowbray said: "The Croatia result restored faith in the national team following the European Championship qualification failure and some pretty depressing results in the early days of Fabio Capello's reign.

"Despite the rising costs of supporting football it appears the national team still is a big draw and to some extent transcends club loyalties.

"Nobody needs reminding that the cost of living is soaring. Fans have to live in the real world and the past year has seen severe pressure on people's finances from rising mortgage costs, fuel prices and food bills."

Virgin Money's Football Fans' Price Index shows that in the past two years the cost of attending games has risen by 36.25 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 in January 2006, the match day basket of goods cost £77.95. However the most recent analysis puts the cost at £106.21 - a rise of £28.26. An increase in the cost of replica shirts, petrol, match tickets and rail fares are primarily the cause of the extra expenditure facing fans.

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.