Does Supporting a Premier League Club Cause Fights at Home? New Survey Reveals the Truth for 2026/27

Oct 6th, 2026 11:40 AM EDT

An Arsenal fan takes a sip while watching a game against the Manchester United at SoFi Stadium (USA TODAY)

Can following a Premier League club really cause arguments with the people closest to you? Bookies.com surveyed 1,000 UK football fans and asked whether supporting their club had ever caused a fight or tension with a partner, friend or family member. More than one in ten said yes outright, and when Everton's fanbase is singled out, the figure climbs to almost three in ten, the highest rate of any club with a reliable sample size in this survey.

Fandom Index October 2026

Does Supporting Your Club Cause Fights at Home?

We asked 1,000 UK football fans whether supporting their Premier League club has ever caused a fight or tension with a partner, friend, or family member. Results below, broken out by club.

Club Rankings Fan Quotes

13.5%Any Tension

12.7%Caused a Fight

0.8%Some Tension

86.5%No Impact

Ranked by the combined share of "Yes" and "Some tension" answers among each club's own fans. Restricted to clubs with at least 15 respondents; excludes Fulham, Bournemouth, Ipswich Town, Hull City, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Coventry City and 16 respondents grouped as "Other club."

Everton8 yes, 0 tension

29.6%

Manchester United31 yes, 3 tension

18.1%

Manchester City12 yes, 0 tension

17.6%

Chelsea11 yes, 0 tension

17.2%

Newcastle United8 yes, 0 tension

16.7%

Tottenham Hotspur7 yes, 0 tension

13.7%

Arsenal18 yes, 2 tension

13.3%

Sunderland2 yes, 0 tension

11.8%

Aston Villa3 yes, 1 tension

9.8%

Liverpool14 yes, 1 tension

8.3%

Leeds United3 yes, 0 tension

8.1%

Brighton & Hove Albion1 yes, 0 tension

6.2%

Nottingham Forest1 yes, 0 tension

3.6%

Representative free-text responses from surveyed fans, lightly edited for length.

"Yeah, Sunderland has caused issues. We're in Europe for the first time in my life and I'll be going to at least three of the away games so that's causing issues with how much it costs."

Sunderland

"Yes, a Chelsea supporting ex. It was funny most of the time, but became real arguments a few times."

Chelsea

"Yes I got cross at my dad for laughing when Newcastle let a goal in against Liverpool in 1996 in the first few minutes."

Newcastle United

"Yes, Newcastle due to their Sunderland rivalry."

Newcastle United

"Yes, back when Arsenal went unbeaten, I had some tension with friends."

Arsenal

"Some tension with friends, family members, acquaintances, ex workmates, but more on the passionate side, and never violence."

Mixed

"Just banter with friends and family who support Manchester City."

Manchester City

Data: Bookies.com Fandom Survey, 1,000 UK football fans. Fight/tension rate by club restricted to clubs with 15+ respondents. Published October 2026.

How Many Premier League Fans Have Fought Over Football?

Of the 1,000 fans surveyed, 127 (12.7%) said supporting their club has caused an outright fight or argument with a partner, friend or family member. A further 8 (0.8%) described lower-level friction, using words like “banter,” “occasionally” or “sometimes,” rather than describing real conflict. Combined, 13.5% of fans report at least some relationship tension traceable back to their football allegiance, while the remaining 86.5% said it has never been an issue.

Table A: Has Supporting Your Club Ever Caused a Fight or Tension?

Response	Count	Share
Yes	127	12.7%
Some tension	8	0.8%
No	865	86.5%

The free text answers behind these numbers range from throwaway banter to genuine friction. One fan described arguing with a Chelsea-supporting ex-partner, “it was funny most of the time, but became real arguments a few times.” Another pointed to the cost of following a club through an unexpected European run: “We're in Europe for the first time in my life and I'll be going to at least three of the away games, so that's causing issues with how much it costs.” A third fan's earliest memory of football-related conflict dates back three decades: “I got cross at my dad for laughing when Newcastle let a goal in against Liverpool in 1996 in the first few minutes.”

Also: Premier League's Least Popular Managers.

Which Premier League Fanbase Is Most Likely to Cause a Fight?

Everton's supporters report by far the highest rate of football-related conflict of any club with a reliable sample size in this survey. Of the 27 Everton fans surveyed, 8 (29.6%) said supporting the club had caused a fight, well clear of Manchester United in second on 18.1% and Manchester City in third on 17.6%.

At the other end of the scale, Nottingham Forest's fans report the calmest home lives, with just 1 fight or tension response from 28 fans surveyed (3.6%), followed by Brighton & Hove Albion (6.2%) and Leeds United (8.1%).

Table B: Fight/Tension Rate by Club, Ranked

Rank	Club	Yes	Some tension	Combined Rate
1	Everton	8	0	29.6%
2	Manchester United	31	3	18.1%
3	Manchester City	12	0	17.6%
4	Chelsea	11	0	17.2%
5	Newcastle United	8	0	16.7%
6	Tottenham Hotspur	7	0	13.7%
7	Arsenal	18	2	13.3%
8	Sunderland	2	0	11.8%
9	Aston Villa	3	1	9.8%
10	Liverpool	14	1	8.3%
11	Leeds United	3	0	8.1%
12	Brighton & Hove Albion	1	0	6.2%
13	Nottingham Forest	1	0	3.6%

Ranked by the combined share of “Yes” and “Some tension” answers among each club's own fans. Restricted to clubs with at least 15 respondents in this survey for statistical reliability.

Also: Biggest and Best Premier League Fans.

What the Numbers Tell Us

There is no obvious link here between fanbase size and fighting over football. Manchester United and Liverpool are the two biggest fanbases in the survey, yet only Manchester United's supporters crack the top three for conflict, while Liverpool sit closer to the bottom, on 8.3%. Everton's result stands out precisely because it doesn't fit a simple size-based pattern: a mid-sized fanbase reporting the highest rate of fights or tension of any club in the survey.

The quotes behind the numbers suggest rivalry and cost are bigger drivers of tension than club size alone, from mixed-fandom households and local derbies to the financial strain of following a club on an unexpected cup run. For most fans, though, football remains a source of banter rather than genuine conflict: even among the 13.5% who reported some tension, several respondents were quick to describe it as “never violence” or “more on the passionate side.”

Methodology

Bookies.com surveyed 1,000 UK based football fans and asked: “Has supporting your club ever caused a fight or tension with a partner, friend, or family member?” Free text answers were manually reviewed and categorised as Yes, Some tension, or No. Responses were then broken out by which Premier League club each respondent supports, using the same club-support data behind Bookies.com's Fandom Index, and restricted to clubs with at least 15 respondents for statistical reliability.