Football in pubs pulls in more females than ever

More women than ever are watching football in pubs, according to new research carried out for Sky TV.

However, female fans are choosier than their male counterparts, with women rating cleanliness as the most important factor when picking a pub or bar to watch the match. That's ahead of atmosphere, sound quality and size of screen.

The research showed that 26 per cent of women surveyed who were aged 18 to 34 have watched a football match in a pub.

Among those female fans who watch Premiership matches in the pub, 29 per cent now watch at least once a fortnight, compared to 13 per cent a year ago. The figure for men watching at least every two weeks is 40 per cent.

Pub operator Spirit Group uses drinks, menus and promotions to bring women in to view football in their venues.

In its Firkin chain, the menu during matches include dishes popular with women, while drinks promotions include wine by the glass, shots and bottled beer, rather than just pints.

Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations, said: "It's not surprising that more women are enjoying watching football in pubs. It's fantastic. But licensees need to do more and offer other things apart from football."

Meanwhile Sky came under heavy fire last week for its new advertising campaign, which encourages viewers to stay at home rather than go down the pub.

The national poster and TV campaign focuses on the fact that viewers don't need to leave the house because there's plenty of things to watch on Sky at home - something that has angered licensees who are already furious at paying high subscription costs.