'Multi Million Pound Players don't win Matches - Lucky Pants do', Claim GB Footie Fans
2 million of us admit to having lucky footie rituals
Hundreds of thousands of fans say a goal drought can be solved with a lucky pint
Former England hero reveals Mr Blobby was key to his success
Chester, UK (PRWEB) June 6, 2009 -- Almost 2 million adult British football fans admit to having a lucky ritual that they perform to try and ensure their team's success.
In the new study, fans that have rituals admit to wearing a 'lucky' item of clothing - including pants, socks and scarves - (24%), eating a particular meal before the match (10%) and taking the same route to every game (9%). But some have more 'sensitive' rituals - 3% of all footie fans, representing 60,000* people across the country, claim to have sex just before watching the match thinking that will bring good luck.
The superstitious nature of fans across the country is revealed in a new study, undertaken by MBNA credit cards to celebrate its tenth anniversary of offering football credit cards in the UK. With over half a million fans making a contribution to their club through a football credit card, the study set out to discover the other, rather more bizarre, ways in which fans support their teams.
The Lengths Fans Go To for that Winning Chance
Perhaps unsurprisingly, over a quarter (28%) of those with rituals confessed it centred on having a lucky pint before the game, a lucky drink in a particular pub or even drinking left handed while the players were on the field.
Some of the rituals uncovered are more extreme. One fan admitted to putting their match ticket in their right rear trouser pocket and walking through the same 'lucky' toilet door every week.
But it's not just match days that matter. Amazingly, 5% of all fans have rituals that they carry out every single day. That means that there are around 100,000* football fans in the UK who try to bring good fortune to their team as part of their daily routine.
One loyal superfan is Arsenal -mad Lawrence Younger from Finsbury Park who developed his superstitious ritual to support the team during away matches he couldn't attend: "It all started during a game against Leeds in around 1990. For some reason I decided to watch the game from outside the pub, through the window. We won that night and so I continued it for some time until it started getting too cold to stand outside.
"After that I successfully switched the ritual to the front lounge of our house and for many years watched large chunks of the games through a crack in the lounge door. It might sound odd but it was lucky for me."
Up and Down The UK
Scottish football fans are the most superstitious with one in every nine (11%) of fans admitting to doing at least one thing to bring good fortune. In London almost one in ten fans (9%) has a ritual. This means that when Wembley stadium is full to capacity more than 9,000 fans will be wearing their lucky shirt, sitting in the same seat or eating the same flavoured pie during the match.
Paul Lawler, MBNA spokesperson said: "Up and down the country fans are doing their bit to support their clubs. Our new research shows how much tireless support the fans give week in, week out behind the scenes and how much emotion and energy they invest in willing their teams to victory.
"Another indication of the scale of support amongst British football fans is the increase in take-up of football credit cards. Fans are proud to show their club logo on their credit card, and more importantly are keen to help their club benefit from the financial rewards that the cards provide to clubs across Britain. We have now reached a milestone of providing half a million football affinity credit card accounts. This is clear evidence of how the widespread commitment of fans is a valuable asset to every club."
The Clubs Are Doing Their Bit Too
A number of well-known footballing heroes have also admitted to having quirky rituals to bring them good luck. England ace John Terry, for example, admits to wearing lucky shin pads and to listening to a particular CD before each game.
Rio Ferdinand always pours water down his face in the tunnel before going out, and jumps every time he steps over the white line and David Beckham always wears long sleeves and new boots every match.
And commenting on the MBNA survey, former England star Matt le Tissier has revealed his own lucky footie ritual for the first time: "The results of the MBNA survey do not surprise me - some years ago I was given a pair of Mr Blobby socks for Christmas. I wore them the next day under my kit socks thinking they might bring me luck and sure enough, I scored! So then I wore the lucky Mr Blobby socks during every match for the next few months. I only stopped wearing them after we lost four games on the trot as I figured they had lost their magical Blobby powers.
"As a player I saw all sorts of things in the dressing room, including people getting really stressed because they had lost their lucky shin pads. The rituals tend to get more intense when it's a big game…It comes from a passion to support the team by any means possible."
Ends
Notes to Editors
About the research
The MBNA credit cards survey was carried out by YouGov early 2008-2009 season. More than 2,000 adults - both male and female - were surveyed with 9% of those that claimed to follow a particular football team admitting to having their own individual lucky rituals. With over 20 million adult football fans in the UK, this equates to more than 1.8 million UK adults with footie rituals, if the trend was reflected nationally*.
The top-ten fan rituals according to the study:
1- A lucky drink before or during the game (28%)
2- Wearing lucky clothing, from team scarves, football shirts to lucky pants (24%)
3- Eating a particular meal or visiting a 'lucky' burger van (10%)
4- Taking the same route to every home game (9%)
5- Placing a bet before the game's kick-off (4%)
6- Having sex before each game (3%)
7- Using the same parking spot on at home match days (3%)
8- Using a particular lucky toilet before the game starts (3%)
9- Praying for your team to win (3%)
10- Listening to a particular piece of music (2%)
About MBNA
About MBNA Europe Bank:
MBNA Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), is the recognized leader in affinity marketing. MBNA credit cards and related products and services are endorsed by more than 5,000 organisations worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.mbna.co.uk or Bank of America's site at http://www.bankofamerica.com.
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