Dedicated football fans in the UK spend nearly £100,000 following their team over the course of a lifetime, a survey has found.
Supporters who buy season tickets and follow their clubs into Europe will fork out an average of £97,500 over 52 years, or £1,875 a season, according to Virgin Money.
Hardcore fans spend £20,000 on season tickets, £11,600 on away tickets and cup matches and a whopping £40,000 on travel.
Other costs include club merchandise, match programmes and matchday food and drink.
And the cost of supporting a British football club is growing rapidly, with the Virgin football fan inflation index rising 8.7 per cent in the last three months.
Malcolm Clarke, chair of the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF), said: "This research backs up what we've been saying for ages. Fans are being priced out of the game.
"The live match-going fan is football’s lifeblood. Without them the millions from broadcasters and sponsors simply won't materialise. We need a new deal for the match-going supporter."
Malcolm Clarke, FSF: "This research backs up what we've been saying for ages. Fans are being priced out of the game."
For the "ardent" fan, who typically buys a season ticket and club merchandise but does not travel abroad, the figure is £68,000 over a lifetime, or £1,310 a season.
The total cost for the "armchair" supporter, classified as someone who might sign up to TV sports packages and subscribe to a club magazine, is £283 a season, or £14,716 over 52 years.
Virgin Money spokesman Scott Mowbray said: "Football fans live from game to game so will be surprised to hear how much they spend over a lifetime.
"The prospect of forking out as much as £100,000 just to follow your team is particularly daunting for young people who are desperate to find the money but may be struggling with debts.
"This year's Premiership saw a drop in attendances, which could be a symptom of the top tier pricing its fans out of the grounds."
The FSF said average British ticket prices at around £30 are way ahead of other European countries.
Tickets start at between £7 and £8 in Germany and between £10 and £12 in Italy and Spain.
The FSF estimates that if recommendations in the Taylor Report had been implemented British prices would cost no more than £16.
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