Colliers’ Retail Strategy & Analytics team has ranked football clubs and their impact on retail venues in their own version of a premier league, using mobile phone data from Fetch Analytics.
Key findings:
- Tottenham Hotspur tops the alternative Retail Premier League table with a +13.1% increase in visits to their local retail centre (Edmonton – Central) on matchdays.
- Edmonton Green Shopping Centre contains a muti-storey car park popular with fans on matchdays
- Rest of the Champions League qualification spots go to Aston Villa, Manchester United, and Fulham, with all four clubs seeing notable uplifts in retail footfall. Manchester City just miss out.
- Relegation zone: Everton, AFC Bournemouth, and Newcastle United all experience notable declines in local retail visits on matchdays, suggesting non-match going visitors may avoid the area due to crowding. Each club will be hoping for better results both on and off the pitch next season.
| Team | Retail venue | % change in visit volumes on a Saturday matchday |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Edmonton – Central | +13.1% |
| Aston Villa | Birmingham – Central | +10.0% |
| Manchester United | Manchester – Central | +9.2% |
| Fulham | London Putney – Central | +4.3% |
| Manchester City | Manchester – Central | +4.1% |
| Crystal Palace | Croydon – Central | +3.8% |
| Sunderland | Sunderland – Central | +3.0% |
| Arsenal | London Holloway – Central | +2.8% |
| West Ham United | London Stratford – Westfield Stratford S C | +2.3% |
| Chelsea | London Fulham Broadway – Central | +2.3% |
| Brentford | Chiswick – Central | +1.5% |
| Liverpool | Liverpool – Central | +1.3% |
| Burnley | Burnley – Central | -1.9% |
| Leeds United | Leeds – Central | -2.6% |
| Nottingham Forest | Nottingham – Central | -2.7% |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Brighton – Central | -5.3% |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | Wolverhampton – Central | -5.5% |
| Everton | Liverpool – Central | -5.8% |
| AFC Bournemouth | Bournemouth – Central | -7.3% |
| Newcastle United | Newcastle Upon Tyne – Central | -11.2% |
Paul Matthews, head of retail strategy & analytics at Colliers, comments: “These rankings demonstrate just how important football is to the health and success of many of our retail centres. While the dominance of the big clubs at the top is of little surprise due to sheer volume of fans, seeing the likes of Newcastle and Leeds towards the bottom does give us pause and show that for some, the beautiful game can be somewhat off putting!”
Impact of match result on visit volumes
- Fulham fans are the most emotionally reactive, with a 26% increase in visits to London Putney – Central when the team wins compared to when they lose.
- Manchester United fans, on the other hand, are more likely to hit the high street to drown their sorrows, with Manchester city centre seeing a 17% increase in visits after a loss compared to a win.
Stadium proximity & retail impact
- Everton’s current ground, Goodison Park, is one of the furthest from its local retail centre, being a 58 minute walk from Liverpool – Central. On matchdays, the area sees a 5.8% decrease in visits.
- The club’s upcoming move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium will reduce this distance by ~14% (8 minutes), and it will be interesting to observe whether this shift affects footfall patterns.
- The impact of distance varies across clubs, indicating other factors—such as fanbase behaviour and the matchday experience—play a key role.
- For example:
- Aston Villa: Birmingham – Central sees a +10% uplift, despite Villa Park being a 54-minute walk away.
- Birmingham New Street is the main interchange, so fans coming via train will likely pass through it
- Newcastle United: Newcastle – Central sees a -11.2% drop, even though St. James’ Park is under a 10-minute walk away.
- The Tyne & Wear metro service gets heavily congested on matchdays with the centre dominated by Newcastle fans, likely deterring non-match goers from heading into the City Centre
- Aston Villa: Birmingham – Central sees a +10% uplift, despite Villa Park being a 54-minute walk away.
- For example:
N.B. walk times measured to the centre of the respective venue (e.g. it takes 9 minutes and 48 seconds to walk from St James’ Park to the centre of Newcastle – Central. The outer boundary of the venue would be significantly closer). All walk times calculated using TravelTime software.
Catchment size shifts on matchdays
- Ipswich Town sees the largest increase in catchment size on matchdays compared to non-matchdays. This suggests a broad and distributed fanbase, likely drawing visitors from beyond the usual retail pull of the area—possibly due to its geographic isolation.
- AFC Bournemouth shows the largest decrease in catchment size on matchdays, indicative of a more locally concentrated supporter base.
- There are a number of other clubs nearby (Southampton, Portsmouth), diluting the reach of Bournemouth’s potential fanbase.
- Bournemouth’s stadium is in an out-of-town location, meaning local visitors to Bournemouth – Central are less likely to be put off their visits by the match
- At the regional level, London clubs show the largest average increase in matchday catchment size, possibly reflecting their broader appeal and attraction of less frequent or tourist visitors.
For example, Arsenal sees a greater share of matchday visits from boroughs like Enfield and Barnet, likely due to local fans, while boroughs like Camden and Westminster show higher visitation rates on non-matchdays.
