Over HALF of Brits refuse to date someone supporting a rival football team

Over half of Brits wouldn’t date someone who supports a rival team, according to SeatPick’s study on football fan loyalty. SeatPick surveyed 3,500 Brits to uncover just how dedicated football fans are to the beautiful game.

The excitement that surrounds football can lead to some interesting behaviours, but to what extent does this impact dating and relationships? The study found 1 in 3 respondents would go so far as ghosting a date if they don’t like football, and over a half of Brits wouldn’t date someone who support a rival team.

Action whilst dating	% of Brits admit to this	Football club fans most likely to do this	Male or female fans most likely to do this
Ghosted a date as they didn’t like football	29.9%	​Heart of Midlothian 25%	Male 16.3%
Cancelled a date to attend a match	20.5%	Newport County 17.5%	Male 10.4%
Refuse to date someone who supports a rival team	56.4%	Linfield 64.71%	Female 44%
Find it a turn on to date a football fan	49.7%	Chelsea and Newcastle 91.6%	Male 56.6%
Worn a football shirt on a first date	45.7%	Linfield 64.71%	Female 46.9%
Would give up sex for 1 year their team to win the Premier League	14.3%	Sheffield Wednesday 18.87%	Male 12.3%
Would give up sex for 1 year to meet their favourite player	8.8%	14.55% Nottingham Forest	Female 8.1%

Over a fifth of all people surveyed have even cancelled a date to watch a match. Such extreme attitudes create dating challenges for football enthusiasts, but another factor that may make it hard for football fans to land a second date is their fashion choices.

45.7% of Brits have worn a football shirt to a date - is this a dating ick? Surprisingly, women were more likely to do this than men as 46.9% of women admitted that they have worn a football shirt to a first date. Men aren’t too far behind as 45.3% have worn a football shirt to a first date.

SeatPick partnered with dating and relationship expert, Chris Pleines, from DatingScout who says “If one partner is passionate about football while the other lacks interest, it can create a disconnect and difficulty in finding shared activities or meaningful conversations, leading to a lack of engagement and emotional connection in the relationship.”

Those in relationships are not safe from facing sidelined to the love of football, as over two-fifths have missed a partner's birthday and 1 in 10 have missed their own child’s birth.

Credit: https://seatpick.com