Travelling football fans hit by fuel prices

Football fans following their side on the road this season will travel on average 2,031 miles in pursuit of glory - but will have to pay on average 26 per cent more for their fuel in the process, according to new research from Virgin Money.

The new figures come from the latest results of the Virgin Money Football Fans' Inflation Index. They show just how far many fans will go to follow their side - but also emphasise the extra cost supporters are likely to face as petrol prices continue to rise.

At the beginning of 2006 when the Index launched, a gallon of petrol cost just £4.06, meaning the average fan would fork out around £192 at the pump over the course of a season while following their team. But with prices on the rise that same fan can now expect to pay around £243 for the same journeys - some £50 extra.

And with one in ten Premiership fans travelling over 5,000 miles each season, Virgin Money warns that some supporters could be priced out of following their team away from home. Its research shows that Portsmouth fans are most likely to suffer, with 19 per cent of regular Pompey supporters saying they travel over 5,000 miles a season with their team. A fan travelling 7,500 miles per season will typically have to pay £898.50 for petrol.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa fans are also likely to be hit hard, with 18 per cent and 16 per cent respectively travelling over 5,000 miles a season.

Least likely to feel the pinch on the road this season are Manchester City fans, according to Virgin Money. The largest proportion of Blues fans say they travel less than 500 miles a season on the road (48%) followed by Bolton (46%) and Middlesbrough (45%).

Virgin Money's Scott Mowbray said: "People often focus on rising ticket prices but there are plenty of other factors that affect football fans - not least the distance they travel supporting their teams. The average fan may travel over 2,000 miles in a season but there are thousands of fans going much further than that and the increased cost of petrol will take its toll this year.

"The question is, with rising ticket prices, programme costs, food expenses, merchandising and now increased fuel bills, how much more can the average punter take? This could be the season when many fans stop following their teams away from home."

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.

And further research by Virgin Money shows that the price squeeze is forcing fans to give up on going to as many games this season with 26 per cent saying they will cut back. The cutbacks are hitting regular fans who go to between 11 and 20 matches a season as much as casual supporters with even season ticket holders who've already paid out planning to reduce the number of games they go to.