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?
A new study by GoodLuckMate has revealed that fans of Premier League Clubs like to keep things in the family.
By analyzing Google searches made by fans, our study reveals which Premier League clubs' footie-mad parents most frequently search for club-branded 'baby football kits,’ 'baby clothing' and 'baby accessories.’
In total, 21,000 searches are made per month by parent supporters in the UK. But which Premier League club has the pushiest parents?
According to the data experts, it’s the current title holders Liverpool F.C. More than any other club, parents are making sure their children never walk alone by kitting the next generation of Reds in club merchandise from the day they’re born.
In fact, nearly 5,000 die-hard fans search for Liverpool F.C. baby products each month. This is almost 50 percent more than Manchester United in second place with 3,250 average searches per month and 24,100 percent more than Southampton at the bottom of the table:
Likening the culture of Liverpool F.C to a religion, the goalkeeper for the women’s team, Rylee Foster, was recently quoted saying she “didn’t have a choice” when she was born and “has always supported Liverpool,” thanks to her deep scouse roots, despite growing up in Canada.
Behind Manchester United, in the second position, Arsenal supporting parents are the third pushiest in the Premier League, googling products from their club’s baby collection 3,240 times a month on average.
The Gooners come out trumps in the North London baby derby, with their rival Spurs lagging behind in 8th position with under 870 monthly searches – 73 percent less.
Current Premier League table-toppers Manchester City aren’t having the same luck as they are on the field, having only 490 monthly searches for their club’s baby merchandise.
All in danger of relegation on the baby table, Fulham F.C. has just 40 searches, Brighton and Hove Albion F.C. 30 searches, and in the last place is Southampton F.C., with only 20. The Saints’ official store offers a range of infant products, but it seems fans are keeping their dribblers at home (sorry!) separate from those on the pitch.
But which Premier League team has the cutest next generation of fans? To find out, the data experts at GoodLuckMate here analyzed more than 10,000 Instagram posts for baby hashtags linked to the top UK clubs, such as #arsenalbaby, #mancitybaby, and #spursbaby, because somebody had to.
To name the Premier League clubs with the cutest young fans, we recorded the number of likes each picture received under each hashtag and ranked clubs on their average. This is what we found:
At the top of the league is Tottenham Hotspur, with pictures posted under #tottenhambaby and #spursbaby attracting an impressive 51 likes on average. It beats Arsenal babies in the North London baby derby, with the club coming in third place in the study and receiving 49 likes per post.
In second place is Yorkshire’s Leeds United, with their smallest fans attracting 50 likes on average per post. The North East’s Newcastle United (45 likes) and Birmingham side Aston Villa (44 likes) complete the top five Premier League with the cutest young fans.
While Instagram likes for Tottenham Hotspur babies are highest in the league, the club record goes to Harry Kane – his post announcing the birth of his baby boy Louis attracted more than 539,000 likes.
At the bottom of the league is the Midlands team West Bromwich Albion, with posts under #wbababy #westbromwichalbionbaby #westbrombaby attracting the least number of likes of the Premier League clubs studied – just 19 likes on average.
The study also reveals the true cost of club-branded baby products to parents who want to introduce their children to the sport early. Premier League merchandise doesn’t come cheap, and neither do the clubs’ baby clothing and accessories.
The Spurs Shop baby section boasts an impressive 80 products, with a 2020/21 home kit setting parents back a reasonable £15.
By comparison, the most expensive baby home kits are sold by Manchester United (£52.95), Leicester City (£50), Sheffield United (£45), Manchester City (£40), and Arsenal (£38).
To calculate search volume for club-branded baby products, over 100 keywords were inputted into Google Keyword Planner to find the average monthly and annual search volume for each Premier League club.
GoodLuckMate analyzed more than 10,000 Instagram posts with football baby hashtags to find the cutest babies in the Premier League, such as #arsenalbaby, #mancitybaby and #spursbaby. To name the Premier League clubs with the cutest young fans, GoodLuckMate recorded the number of likes each picture received under each hashtag and ranked clubs on their average.
The cost of Premier League clubs’ baby home kits 2020/21 season were recorded from the RRP on the official online shop for each club. Correct as of 18/03/2021.