Are your football finances match fit?

By Sarah Modlock

17 May 2006

Flags are flying, excitement is rising and fridges around the country are getting stocked up with beer. As anticipation of the World Cup builds, it's time to know your midfield from your metatarsal.

Whether you are travelling to Germany or settling down in front of the TV at home or in your local, the chances are that you will be spending cash. Some pointy-heads have even tried to work out how much. NatWest estimates that watching every match with a few bevvies and some scoff will cost an average of £87.26 per person. But then their figures are based on just three pints for those in pubs or four cans at home per match. Hmmm. Presumably that's just the women.

This summer's World Cup shopping list including everything from booze, T-shirts and football memorabilia to flat screen TVs and electronic devices is set to boost Britain 's economy by as much as £1.25 billion. The Centre for Economics and Business Research says it expects higher consumer spending and a mountain of cash being poured into advertising.

England expects

For the 50,000 fans expected to watch the games live, o nline bank cahoot estimates that it would cost £4,808 to travel to Germany and watch every England game in the World Cup through to the final. This is based on £734 for match tickets, £90 on flights, £244 on trains, £2,387 on accommodation, £1,320 on food and drink and £33 on a T-shirt.

'Despite the World Cup being closer to home this year, the cost of following the team is still almost £5,000,' says cahoot Managing director, John Goddard says. 'Those people who are lucky enough to watch England in every match, including the final, will have a once in a lifetime experience, but this certainly won't come cheap. You would have had to have saved £95 a month for four years since the last World Cup to have enough to pay for the trip and all the matches,' he adds.

One thing which does not feature in the estimated costs is travel insurance. It would probably be the cheapest item on the list but could save travelling fans a small fortune if they are delayed or injured. There is a huge temptation to avoid bothering with cover for just a short trip but for the price of a few beers, it's well worth getting and you can research and buy online in minutes.

A load of balls

Of course, where there is a lot of cash being spent, there is also the risk of dodgy deals. And I'm not talking match-fixing. Fans buying tickets on auction websites are paying huge mark-ups but also risk getting turned away at the turnstiles. Research from G4S Security reveals tickets for the World Cup finals in Germany sold via unauthorised websites cost on average 327% more than the face value of the ticket. Tickets for the final cost on average £972. That's a mark-up of 277% on the original sale price set by FIFA. And a pair of tickets to see England play Trinidad & Tobago, at the Frankenstadion Nuremberg on 15th June, sold for £1500, a mark up of 2307% on the tickets' face value.

Those selling tickets via online auction sites in the UK risk prosecution, as the Government has banned the unlicensed sale of any tickets for the World Cup finals in Germany this summer. G4S is warning consumers who are contemplating purchasing tickets from unauthorised sources to check they are not fraudulent. In some cases touts are offering tickets for 'phantom' matches that are not even scheduled to take place at the finals.

'FIFA has implemented a rigorous identification system for the World Cup finals, so supporters purchasing tickets from touts could face severe disappointment,' warns Douglas Greenwell of G4S. 'If the ticket holder's details do not match those of the purchaser they will be refused entry to the stadium. Buying tickets from unauthorised websites can lead to an increase in fraud, criminal activity and increases the safety and security risks at events to themselves and other members of the public,' says Greenwell. 'Ultimately it is in the consumers' interest to purchase their tickets from authorised outlets; this ensures they are paying the correct price and that the tickets actually exist. Supporters purchasing tickets from unauthorised sources could be wasting significant sums of money.'

Show us your tackle

If you want to make money rather than spend it then Fidelity International has come up with a novel alternative to the betting shop. It has found that countries with weaker teams may offer stronger investment potential when it compared how the stock markets of this year's qualifying countries have faired since the last tournament in 2002.

While the current holders Brazil may be one of the favourites to take the competition trophy, in stock market terms it hasn't faired as well as some of the lesser known countries, despite a healthy return of more than 240% over the last four years. The Ukraine was the best performing market with returns of 588%, followed by Saudi Arabia (444%), Argentina (418%) and the Czech Republic (277%). Sides hailing from the emerging markets have generally turned in superior results. Among the developed nations, Spain is top-performer with a gain of 72%. The Netherlands had the poorest return of 12%, with England coming second from bottom with returns of 29%.

And finally, if you cannot handle disappointment, take a tip from 34-year-old Paul Hucker of Ipswich . He paid £100 for an insurance policy which will pay out £1 million if he can provide medical evidence that he has suffered psychological trauma caused by England losing the cup. 'I feel very patriotic and very optimistic,' he said. 'To have psychological trauma and depression is something I don't want.' Here's hoping he doesn't end up going home in an Ipswich ambulance.