Did you know that nearly half of male fans would rather skip Valentine’s Day date for footy?

Football fans are risking the wrath of their partners and putting their sex lives on the line because of their undying loyalty to their clubs, according to a recent survey.

Almost a third of supporters have admitted that gaining promotion or winning a trophy is better than sex, while just more than a quarter of fans in the Premier League have thought about football or footballers during sex. With Valentine’s Day almost here, Free Super Tips have undertaken a survey, The Love Of The Game, which has revealed a number of interesting insights into the relationships and bedrooms of football fans. The survey gathered results from 2,000 football fans across the UK, revealing that football is having a major impact on their love lives and it’s also carrying on into the bedroom.

Supporters are really putting themselves at risk with their partners with nearly a third of fans (31%) saying that seeing their team get promoted or win a trophy is better than sex, while 19 per cent claim that scoring a last-minute winner is better than getting their leg over. I mean, really? Not even a compromise of getting down to business under fairy lit goal posts on some artificial grass outdoors? For shame. FOR SHAME.

“Nearly a third of fans say winning trophy or promotion is better than sex”

Although a few years out of the game, David Beckham is still ranked the sexiest figure in football. More than a quarter of fans (26%) think of Beckham when making love, and even rivalries can’t get stop supporters thinking of Becks during sex, the former Manchester United ace is the most popular choice among Liverpool fans, with 32% of Reds thinking about Golden Balls.

While no-one quite does it like Becks, fans have their favourites throughout the game with Cristiano Ronaldo the second-most popular among fans when getting it on (20%). The Portuguese is followed by England captain Harry Kane (16%), Welsh star Gareth Bale (13%) in fourth and Barcelona ace Lionel Messi (11%) making up the top five. While on the red side of Manchester, fans have their own favourite in the bedroom with a quarter of United supporters thinking about goalkeeper David De Gea during sex.

“More than quarter of supporters think of football or footballers during sex”

The survey also shows that some supporters aren’t even letting relationships get off the ground, with over a quarter (28%) revealing that they wouldn’t consider a relationship with someone who was a rival football fan.

However, those fans in relationships are siding heavily with their club rather than their partners with stats continuing to stack up with more than one in 10 supporters (11%) admitting that they love their team more than their partner. Forty-four per cent have admitted that they argue with their partner because they support a different team with 54 per cent saying they argue with their other half because they are Man United fans.

“David Beckham most thought of by fans when getting their leg over”

And this trend continues with 16 per cent saying they would find it more painful that their team was relegated than breaking up with their partner, additionally more than one in 10 would rather skip seeing their partner than miss watching their team. Similarly, 40 per cent of fans would miss going on a date if their team was in the final of a major competition, with to 28 per cent saying they would be willing to miss a client meeting and 18 per cent saying they would miss a friend of family member’s wedding.

“Over a quarter wouldn’t consider relationship with rival supporter”

A quarter of fans have also admitted that they have gone to a football match instead of attending a friend or family members’ wedding with 19 per cent of West Ham fans confessing that they have missed a child’s birthday and watched a football match instead.

And with Valentine’s Day in full swing, there could be a battle across households in the UK with nearly half (47%) of male fans revealing that they would rather watch football than be on date with their partner on February 14.

My advice?

Don’t do it – for the love of God – DON’T DO IT. Putting your precious sport on a pedestal above your relationship only makes your partner feel less important, generally worthless and ultimately, this could have a horrendous impact on the partnership you’ve put so much time and effort into building in the first place. For one day, dedicate the most precious thing in the world to your partner and they’ll be more grateful for that than any bunch of flowers or diamond necklaces. What is it I’m referring to?

Time, give her your time.