How often Newcastle football fans take sick days to follow the sport - compared with Liverpool, Leeds and more
Liverpool and London rank high but the highest percentage of football fans who have used a sick day to follow the sport comes from a surprise city in the UK.
Whether it be train strikes, an early kick-off at the other end of the country or anything in between, football fans in Newcastle are often left struggling to find the time to get to a game.
Many will have used holiday days to make for long weekends to allow time to travel down to grounds in Brighton, Norwich or Bournemouth but sometimes there simply aren't enough holiday days in the calendar.
Ahead of the World Cup, AO conducted a survey of 1,502 football fans across the UK to find out how much time and money Brits are investing into the sport. One of the questions posed by researches was - have you ever taken a sick day to watch a football match?
Those who awnsered are split into cities, rather than football clubs. Given its positioning in the North East and lack of proximity to many fellow Premier League sides, the ranking for football lovers in Newcastle may come as a bit of a surprise, but who tops the list?
1. Sheffield - 3.45%
3.45% of football fans in Sheffield admitted to using a sick day to follow their side. Photo: Nathan Stirk
2. Cardiff - 3.57%
3.57% of football fans in Cardiff admitted to using a sick day to follow their side. Photo: Ryan Hiscott
3. Manchester - 3.85%
3.85% of football fans in Manchester admitted to using a sick day to follow their side. Photo: Catherine Ivill
4. Belfast - 3.85%
3.85% of football fans in Belfast admitted to using a sick day to follow their side. Photo: Getty Images