London: The Office for National Statistics says nearly 1 million tourists attended a Premier League football match last year, helping to boost the British economy by spending $1.12 billion.
The 900,000 visitors also spent an average of $1,256. That represents an increase from 2010, when 750,000 foreign fans watched a game and spent $1,268.
The most popular teams to visit were Manchester United and Liverpool. London clubs Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham were the next most popular. According to the research, many of the football-watching visitors came from Ireland (174,000), Norway (80,000), the United States (61,000), Spain (54,000) and Germany (48,000).
The research shows that 1.3 million visitors attended a sports event in the Britain. The other popular sports were golf, rugby and cricket.
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The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition.
Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of pr ...
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