Premier League and Barclays Women’s Super League matches generate an estimated £2.3bn of consumer spending each season

• Barclays data shows total spending within 1km of football stadiums rises by an average of 4.1 percent on matchdays compared to non-matchdays
• Fans boost local economies more in the North, where matchday spending rises 5.2 percent versus 3.5 percent in the South
• On average, excluding tickets, fans spend more across the matchday when attending a Barclays Women’s Super League game than a Premier League match
• 67 percent of top-flight match-goers in the UK would like to see more investment in women’s football
• ‘The Golden Boost’ is part of the Barclays Consumer Spend report, which combines hundreds of millions of customer transactions with consumer research to provide an in-depth view of spending trends

New data from Barclays reveals the economic impact of football fans attending Premier League and Barclays Women’s Super League matches during their respective 2024/25 seasons. The findings highlight how matchdays lift spending around stadiums, boost local businesses and reflect the rapid growth of the women’s game

From the South coast to the Northeast, football matchdays generate spending across pubs, cafés, restaurants, shops and transport links in the surrounding areas, as well as inside the stadiums themselves. Barclays’ analysis shows that fans attending top-flight matches in person opt to spend an estimated total of £2.3bn¹ in local economies each season, based on reported average matchday spend per fan and average attendances across both leagues.

Across both the Premier League (PL) and the Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL), spending within a 1km radius of stadiums rises by an average of 4.1 percent on matchdays, as fans arrive early, socialise before kick-off, grab a snack and drink at half-time, and continue celebrating after the final whistle.

Regionally, the North of England performs particularly strongly, with local spending rising by 5.2 percent, compared with 3.5 percent in the South. At the same time, London-based clubs see an average local spending uplift of 5.6 percent on matchdays, while clubs outside the capital see a 2.8 percent increase.

Fixtures as full-day experiences

Barclays’ research shows that football fans attending PL and BWSL matches in person are turning matchdays into full days out, with spending extending well beyond the stadium gates.

Premier League fans who attended at least one match in person during the 2024/25 season say they attended seven games on average, supporting local economies by choosing to spend £138 throughout the day. During the same season, BWSL fans who saw at least one match opted to attend four times on average, spending £144.70. Based on average matchday attendances, this equates to combined discretionary fan spending of £5.6m per Premier League matchday, and just under £1m (£988k) per BWSL matchday, totalling £2.3bn across both seasons. These figures exclude the cost of the match ticket, due to wide variations in season tickets, packages and secondary markets².

Average reported fan spend per matchday (excluding tickets)

Fan spending extends beyond the matchday itself. Looking back across the 2024/25 season, more than a quarter of PL and BWSL matchday attendees (26 percent) say they purchased their team’s new home or away kit, while a similar proportion (25 percent) went for accessories such as scarves or hats.

One in five fans (18 percent) also bought retro, limited-edition or training kits, showing how football merchandise has increasingly become part of everyday fashion and lifestyle spending.

Home wins bring high street highs

Barclays’ data also reveals how match outcomes can further amplify football’s economic impact. During the 2024/25 season, Barclays recorded a 5.8 percent rise in local spending on Premier League matchdays when the home team won, compared to a 0.1 percent rise from a draw or loss.

However, this effect was not seen in the BWSL, which could be because BWSL matches during 2024/25 season were more likely to take place on Sundays, meaning that fans were less likely to continue celebrating wins until the early hours.

The main stadium effect – the growth opportunity of women’s football

Across both the Premier League and BWSL, 60 per cent of all match-goers agree that they would be more likely to attend BWSL matches if they were played in the club’s main ground, and two thirds (65 percent) agree that clubs should host their BWSL team’s matches at the club’s main ground where possible.

A similar percentage (67 percent) would like to see more investment in women’s football, and seven in 10 (71 percent) agree that women’s football is a growing part of the UK’s football economy.

Three quarters (74 percent) believe that the growing popularity of women’s football in the UK is thanks to the international success of the England Lionesses, and Barclays’ data backs this up. Looking at the 2024/25 BWSL season compared to the 2021/22 season – just before England won its first UEFA Women’s Euro title – spending within a 1km radius of BWSL matches has grown by 11.7 percent.

Rich Robinson, Head of Hospitality and Leisure at Barclays, said: “Football matchdays are a powerful driver of local economic activity. Our data shows that when fans attend games in person, they’re not just filling stadiums – they’re supporting pubs, cafés, restaurants and shops in the surrounding area, often turning a 90-minute match into a full day out.

Women’s football is now one of the biggest growth opportunities in the sport. Barclays Women’s Super League matchday spending has climbed sharply in recent seasons, fuelled by fan spending power, rising attendances, main stadium fixtures and the momentum created by the England Lionesses.”

Tom Corbett, Managing Director of Sponsorship and Client Experience at Barclays, said: “Barclays has been backing the future of UK sport for more than 25 years, from being the Official Banking Partner to the Premier League to leading record-breaking investments in women’s football across the UK, including the Barclays Women’s Super League, the Barclays Women’s Championship, as well the Northern Irish Women’s Football Association, Scottish Women’s Football’s Championship and League One.

Our work in crucial grassroots football initiatives has seen millions of pounds of investment and tangible change to hundreds of thousands of individuals needing better access to the beautiful game – from providing equal access for girls to football in schools through the Barclays Girls’ Football in Schools network, to providing grants and support to underrepresented groups in the community through the Barclays Community Sport Fund.”

Nikki Doucet, CEO of WSL Football, said: “Women’s football fandom is still emerging, and this data from Barclays provides valuable insight into how supporters engage with the game when they attend. We are learning all the time about fan behaviour in the women’s game and what people want. Clearly football has a positive impact on the local economy, and this data demonstrates the spending potential that clubs can embrace to create experiences in and around their stadiums on matchday that make it an unmissable event.”

Ian Wright, OBE, Barclays Ambassador, said: “I love that people are supporting local cafes, pubs, shops on matchdays. Without those communities football wouldn’t be as special as it is. And to see so many people calling for more investment in women’s football is right – we’ve got Barclays and the Lionesses to thank for making the game so much more visible.”

Jon Betts, Director at JPB Restaurants Ltd, said: “As the owner of two McDonald’s restaurants located close to the London Stadium, the home of West Ham United, my business enjoys a tremendous benefit from Premiere League matches.

On the days of home games, I will typically see anywhere between a 20 to 25 percent uplift in sales compared to a non-matchday. These days usually are amongst the busiest in the year, so it’s important we are fully prepared to deal with the increased numbers of customer we will serve. Football matchdays are normally exciting and fun days to work for our restaurant teams, and we run staff competitions and challenge ourselves to set new sales records.

Football fans are also usually fans of McDonald’s, so home and away supporters will visit the restaurants before or after the match, and if West Ham win, then business can be very good!”

Image courtesy of Unsplash. Photo credit: Andrei Dascalu.

¹ Total spending calculation

²Why the cost of match tickets has not been included in calculations: Ticket spending has not been included because it’s very difficult to get a reliable estimate. Season tickets, multi‑match packages, and the growth of secondary ticketing platforms mean there’s no consistent way to attribute what fans actually pay on a match‑by‑match basis.

³Average Premier League attendance – 2024/2025 season: https://www.espn.co.uk/football/stats/_/league/ENG.1/view/performance/season/2024/english-premier-league

⁴Average BWSL attendance – 2024/2025 season:

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/stats/_/league/ENG.W.1/view/performance/season/2024