Reds top baby fan ‘league’

For many fans, football isn’t just a sport – it’s a way of life.

But should it be a ‘given’ that your children support the same team as you?

Published today, a new study reveals fans of Premier League clubs like to keep things in the family – and the ‘indoctrination’ starts early as footie-mad parents begin their loyalty offensives when their children are still new-born babies!

Using Internet-tracking technology, researchers at GoodLuckMate have discovered up to 21,000 online searches are made every month by UK-based parents keen to buy their newly born bundles of joy anything from replica football shirts to baby accessories.

‘It’s been really interesting to find out which Premier League clubs have the pushiest parents and just how many die-hard fans choose their children’s club from birth,’ commented Nerijus Grenda of  GoodLuckMate. ‘It’s clear that baby-clothing and accessories are clearly lucrative markets for football clubs, with some mini home kits selling for more than £50. It’s a lot of money for something they’ll grow out of very quickly!’    

Liverpool fans would appear to be more committed to raising their youngsters as ‘Reds’, with almost 5,000 die-hard parents searching for baby products every month month.

This is nearly 50 per cent more than Manchester United, who are in second place with 3,250 average searches per month.

Spare a thought

London-based parents supporting Arsenal find themselves the third pushiest, googling products from their club’s baby collection 3,240 times a month. The Gooners easily beat fierce rivals, Spurs, whose 870 searches mean they occupy eighth place.  

Meanwhile, current Premier League table-toppers, Manchester City, find themselves way of the pace in the baby stakes, logging a paltry monthly average of just 490 searches. 

But while Pep Guardiola’s side might have work to do to catch up with their Anfield and Old Trafford rivals, spare a thought for perennial league strugglers Fulham (40 searches), Brighton (30 searches), and Southampton (20 searches).

The Saints’ official store may offer a wide range of infant products, but it seems fans are keeping their dribblers at home separate from those on the pitch.