We conducted a nationwide survey on match-going Premier League football fans to find out which team has the most loyal supporters.
If you’re a Premier League fan, you know more than anyone the level of passion that goes into supporting your team. In fact, Premier League fans are some of the most dedicated individuals across the sporting world, with many being more than willing to cross oceans and follow their team to the other side of the planet.
With this in mind, have you ever wondered which team has the most loyal set of fans? We certainly have, which is why sports betting site Betway carried out a survey that asked Premier League football fans across the UK five questions based on their loyalty to their team. This allowed us to then rank each fanbase based on loyalty. Will your team make the top five? Let’s find out!
The most loyal fans in the Premier League
Let’s begin with the total index scores, which rank the overall loyalty of Premier League fans by combining each team’s results from all five questions.
Top 5 most loyal Premier League fans
It may come as no surprise that Liverpool topped our survey at #1 for fan loyalty. With a total index score of 68.93 out of 100, Liverpool F.C. fans are prepared to remain loyal to their team no matter what happens. Founded in 1892 and playing its home games at Anfield ever since, Liverpool has fans that will cheer on the players through the good times and the bad.
Following at a very close second is Chelsea, with a score of 68.80 out of 100. Founded in 1905 and winning its first FA Cup in 1970, the club’s fans are very nearly as dedicated as those of Liverpool.
Third in the total index score is West Ham, with a very respectable 62.80 points out of 100. Their fans are still celebrating following the club winning the Europa Conference League in 2023.
In fourth, we have Arsenal with 61.90 points out of 100. When it comes to the number of trophies won in total, Arsenal is the third-most successful club in English football, with The Gunners earning the additional nickname ‘The Invincibles’ thanks to them being the only team to ever finish a 38-match season undefeated – not to mention winning the most Premier League games in a row without defeat.
Running closely behind Arsenal and number five in our list is Brighton and Hove Albion, with a total index score of 61.53 out of 100. During the 2022-23 season, The Seagulls finished sixth in the Premier League and qualified for the UEFA Europa League.
Bottom 3 Premier League teams for fan loyalty
We simply can’t share the top 5 most loyal Premier League fans without also letting you know which teams scored the lowest for fan loyalty. Apologies in advance if your team is listed here but all’s fair in love, war, and football!
Coming in at number 18 with a score of 38.72 out of 100 is Nottingham Forest. The team was founded way back in 1865 and has a rich history, yet its fans clearly don’t feel particularly dedicated to supporting it through and through.
At number 19 with a score of 35.22 it’s the Wolverhampton Wanderers, AKA the Wolves, who have also been around since the days of Queen Victoria (1877, to be precise). Unfortunately, they simply refuse to work as a pack in the face of adversity.
And at the bottom of our data list with a particularly low score of 21.85 out of 100 (a whopping 13.37 points below the Wolves), it’s Sheffield United. Nicknamed The Blades as a nod to the city’s history of cutlery production, sadly the team just doesn’t cut the mustard when it comes to fan loyalty.
The top scores for each question
If your team didn’t make the top 5, there’s still time for redemption! Here are the teams that achieved the highest scores for each individual question, although we admit that two of them have already been mentioned above.
We asked: “If your team was relegated, would you still go to as many matches as you currently do?” Everton fans replied with a mighty impressive 90% of positive answers, which shows that the majority will stick around even if their team were to fall out of the Premier League.
“Would you leave the ground early if your team is losing by a significant margin?” Liverpool came out on top again, as only 19% of fans said they would, which means that 81% of them would stick around regardless of how their beloved players are performing on the pitch.
“How likely are you to follow your team around the country/abroad on away days?” Chelsea fans clearly enjoy a good day out or even a holiday overseas, as 63% of fans said they’re likely to follow their team to the ends of the earth.
This is a question we particularly liked asking Premier League fans: “Would you want to name one of your children after a legend of your club?” Arsenal fans evidently love to pay homage to their favourite players, with 54% of fans saying that they would do this (hopefully with the approval of their partner).
Last but not least, and possibly the most interesting question we asked because it really does require a ton of honesty: “Would you cancel a first date if your team was playing at the same time?” You have to give it to Bournemouth fans, as 37% of them would gladly sacrifice the possibility of meeting their future spouse and support their team instead.
So, there we have it – the most (and least) loyal Premier League fans in the UK. If you’ve found this interesting, check out the Betway blog for even more insight from our team of experts.
Our methodology
When it comes to a topic that means so much to so many, it’s crucial that the research is carried out in a fair and meticulous way. To achieve this, we conducted a nationwide survey on match-going Premier League football fans, with respondents answering five questions associated with loyalty towards a football club. The answers were compiled and analysed via an index, which was then presented in the form of a league ranking based on the total index score out of 100.
The five questions we asked Premier League fans were:
- If your team was relegated, would you still go to as many matches as you currently do?
- Would you leave the ground early if your team is losing by a significant margin?
- How likely are you to follow your team around the country/abroad on away days?
- Would you want to name one of your children after a legend of your club?
- Would you cancel a first date if your team was playing at the same time?
The resulting data presents some eye-opening results. Time to dive in!
