http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,658605,00.html

Football's profile is white and wealthy

Premier League supporters still mostly male

Vivek Chaudhary, sports correspondent
Wednesday February 27, 2002
The Guardian

The changing, cosmopolitan face of the English Premier League
- demonstrated by the presence of foreign players and coaches
and their new approach to the game - is not reflected off the
pitch.

Top level English football is still mainly watched by white males,
and fans continue to remain concerned about the way they are
treated by clubs as well as the standard of facilities in grounds,
despite the advent of modern all-seater stadiums.

The annual FA Premier League fans' survey paints a picture of a
game that has a distinct north-south divide, but which is
attracting more wealthy fans, spending on average £1,039 per
season on following their team.

More than one-third of all fans watching Premier League football
earn more than £30,000 a year, with the average season ticket
costing £408.

The survey found that while the Premier League has been
successful in attracting large numbers of foreign players and
even some foreign fans, it has failed to attract black Britons into
the stadiums - despite the large number of black players on the
pitch.

Only Tottenham Hotspur, Coventry City and Leicester City
attracted more than 1% of British Asian support - and even fewer
Afro-Caribbean supporters.

The report found that Arsenal could claim to be the only club in
the 20-member Premier League to attract an ethnically mixed
crowd, with 7.7% of its season ticket holders describing
themselves as outside the white British category.

Women make up 15% of fans attending Premier League games
but they tend to be more attracted to the smaller clubs. More
established teams, such as Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle
United, attract relatively few women.

The survey was conducted by the Sir Norman Chester Centre for
Football Research at the University of Leicester, and 80,000
questionnaires were sent out to a sample of season ticket
holders and non-season ticket holders at Premier League clubs.
The survey had a response rate of 37.2%.

John Williams, author of the report, said: "There is an interesting
contrast between the capacity of the game to recruit players
from all kinds of racial backgrounds but a failure to do so off the
pitch. Many ethnic minority fans are not being recruited into the
game because of the cost."

Clubs in London attract the wealthiest fans with 30% of
Tottenham supporters and 32% of Chelsea supporters earning
more than £50,000 per year. Clubs based in the north of
England, such as Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Everton,
attract a greater number of lower income fans.

The average cost of a ticket for a Premier League match is £26.
Arsenal is the costliest club in the country with an average
season ticket of £747, followed by Chelsea at £614 and
Tottenham at £546.

Arsenal also tops the list of the most expensive teams to follow.
Supporters of the north London team spend an average of
£1,627 following their team, followed by Chelsea at £1,529 and
Manchester United at £1,385.

Despite recent headlines warning of a return to hooliganism, bad
behaviour off the pitch is not a big concern for most fans.

Only 7% of those taking part in the survey said that hooliganism
was increasing.

However, 24% of fans said they had witnessed missile throwing
or fighting at matches. Thirty-six per cent of fans said they had
heard offensive language, while 27% said they had heard racism
toward players.

The report indicates that clubs with a history of racist behaviour
towards black players, plus a presence of right-wing groups,
such as Sunderland, West Ham, Chelsea and Everton, continue
to top the table of those where fans have heard racism aimed at
players.

Topping the list of general complaints by fans was the quality of
food and drink at grounds, the standard of toilets, and the extent
to which the views of fans are listened to.

Fan facts and figures

· 61% of Tottenham season ticket holders are social class AB,
the highest percentage in the Premier League

· 22% of fans said their club was one of the most important
things in their life

· 25% of Premier League fans live within five miles of their club's
ground

· 7% of fans walk or cycle to matches

· 35% of male fans said better bars would get them to games
earlier, while 41% of females said better pre-match
entertainment would

· 89% of male fans use the internet to get soccer info

· 64% of fans have satellite or cable television so that they can
watch football

· The average spend on club merchandise is £131 a year