2012-13 Football Rivalry Survey Results (original) (raw)
The survey was carried out between August 2012 and February 2013 and was answered by just under 2,100 football fans.
Rivalry… English football’s hate stakes revealed
Headline statistics
- 17 clubs’ main rivals have changed since 2003.
- Leeds United have the most teams considering them as main rivals with four. Manchester United and Nottingham Forest are joint second with three each.
- Gillingham have the fewest rivals, appearing in no club’s top three rivalries.
- 52.2% of fans believe that geographical proximity is the cause of their main rivalry. 34.7% blame it on history whereas 8.2% think it’s down to league position.
- 73.9% of football fans claim they would miss their rivals if they ceased to exist.
Changing rivalries
Since 2003, 17 club’s main rivals have changed. They are as follows;
| Team | Old Rival | New Rival |
|---|---|---|
| AFC Bournemouth | Reading | Southampton |
| Arsenal | Manchester United | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Bolton Wanderers | Manchester United | Wigan Athletic |
| Brentford | Queens Park Rangers | Fulham |
| Carlisle United | Middlesbrough | Preston North End |
| Chelsea | Arsenal | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Colchester United | Wycombe Wanderers | Southend United |
| Coventry City | Aston Villa | Leicester City |
| Crewe Alexandra | Stoke City | Port Vale |
| Doncaster Rovers | Rotherham United | Leeds United |
| Fulham | Chelsea | Queens Park Rangers |
| Huddersfield Town | Bradford City | Leeds United |
| Oldham Athletic | Manchester City | Rochdale |
| Reading | Swindon Town | Aldershot Town |
| Torquay United | Exeter City | Plymouth Argyle |
| Tranmere Rovers | Bolton Wanderers | Oldham Athletic |
Clubs with the most rivals
With 3 points allocated for having one main rival and two for having a secondary rival etc., here is a ranking of clubs with the most rivals in the Football League.
| Rank | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leeds | 25 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 15 |
| Manchester United | 15 | |
| 4 | Bolton | 14 |
| Swindon | 14 | |
| Wolves | 14 | |
| 7 | Burnley | 12 |
| Millwall | 12 | |
| Sheff Wed | 12 | |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 11 |
| Leicester | 11 | |
| MK Dons | 11 | |
| 13 | Aston Villa | 10 |
| Blackburn | 10 | |
| Brighton | 10 | |
| 16 | Bristol Rovers | 9 |
| Liverpool | 9 | |
| Nott’m Forest | 9 | |
| Oxford | 9 | |
| Reading | 9 | |
| West Brom | 9 | |
| West Ham | 9 | |
| 23 | Arsenal | 8 |
| Preston | 8 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | |
| 26 | Birmingham | 7 |
| Bristol City | 7 | |
| Cardiff | 7 | |
| Colchester | 7 | |
| Derby | 7 | |
| Exeter | 7 | |
| Port Vale | 7 | |
| Sheff Utd | 7 | |
| Southampton | 7 | |
| 35 | Huddersfield | 6 |
| Hull | 6 | |
| Morecambe | 6 | |
| Newcastle | 6 | |
| Peterborough | 6 | |
| Plymouth | 6 | |
| Portsmouth | 6 | |
| QPR | 6 | |
| Southend | 6 | |
| Stoke | 6 | |
| 45 | Accrington | 5 |
| AFC Wimbledon | 5 | |
| Barnet | 5 | |
| Barnsley | 5 | |
| Chesterfield | 5 | |
| Dag & Red | 5 | |
| Fulham | 5 | |
| Middlesbrough | 5 | |
| Northampton | 5 | |
| Oldham | 5 | |
| Rochdale | 5 | |
| Sunderland | 5 | |
| Wigan | 5 | |
| 58 | Blackpool | 4 |
| Bradford | 4 | |
| Brentford | 4 | |
| Charlton | 4 | |
| Doncaster | 4 | |
| Everton | 4 | |
| Ipswich | 4 | |
| Leyton Orient | 4 | |
| Torquay | 4 | |
| 67 | Aldershot | 3 |
| Bury | 3 | |
| Carlisle | 3 | |
| Manchester City | 3 | |
| Norwich | 3 | |
| Rotherham | 3 | |
| Stevenage | 3 | |
| Swansea | 3 | |
| Walsall | 3 | |
| Wycombe | 3 | |
| 77 | Crewe | 2 |
| Hartlepool | 2 | |
| Shrewsbury | 2 | |
| 80 | Bournemouth | 1 |
| Coventry | 1 | |
| Crawley | 1 | |
| Notts County | 1 | |
| Scunthorpe | 1 | |
| Yeovil | 1 | |
| 86 | Burton | 0 |
| Cheltenham | 0 | |
| Fleetwood | 0 | |
| Gillingham | 0 | |
| Tranmere | 0 | |
| Watford | 0 | |
| York | 0 |
Rivalries – Who are they?
Here is a complete list of the 92 Premier League and Football League clubs’ top three rivalries;
| Team | Main rivals | Second rivals | Third rivals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accrington Stanley | Morecambe | Blackburn Rovers | Burnley |
| AFC Bournemouth | Southampton | Reading | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| AFC Wimbledon | Milton Keynes Dons | Crystal Palace | Crawley Town |
| Aldershot Town | Reading | Woking | Swindon Town |
| Arsenal | Tottenham Hotspur | Chelsea | Manchester United |
| Aston Villa | Birmingham City | West Bromwich Albion | Wolves |
| Barnet | Stevenage | Dagenham & Redbridge | Northampton Town / Carlisle United |
| Barnsley | Sheffield Wednesday | Sheffield United | Leeds United / Huddersfield Town |
| Birmingham City | Aston Villa | Wolves | West Bromwich Albion |
| Blackburn Rovers | Burnley | Bolton Wanderers | Manchester United |
| Blackpool | Preston North End | Bolton Wanderers | Burnley |
| Bolton Wanderers | Wigan Athletic | Burnley | Blackburn Rovers |
| Bradford City | Huddersfield Town | Leeds United | Rotherham United |
| Brentford | Fulham | Queens Park Rangers | Chelsea |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Crystal Palace | Portsmouth | Southampton |
| Bristol City | Bristol Rovers | Cardiff City | Swindon Town |
| Bristol Rovers | Bristol City | Swindon Town | Cardiff City |
| Burnley | Blackburn Rovers | Bolton Wanderers | Blackpool / Preston North End |
| Burton Albion | Chesterfield | Derby County | Notts County |
| Bury | Bolton Wanderers | Rochdale | Oldham Athletic |
| Cardiff City | Swansea City | Bristol City | Leeds United |
| Carlisle United | Preston North End | Hartlepool United | Middlesbrough |
| Charlton Athletic | Crystal Palace | Millwall | West Ham United |
| Chelsea | Tottenham Hotspur | Arsenal | Manchester United |
| Cheltenham Town | Swindon Town | Oxford United | Shrewsbury Town / Kidderminster Harriers |
| Chesterfield | Mansfield Town | Rotherham United | Sheffield Wednesday |
| Colchester United | Southend United | Wycombe Wanderers | Ipswich Town |
| Coventry City | Leicester City | Aston Villa | Birmingham City |
| Crawley Town | AFC Wimbledon | Brighton & Hove Albion | Swindon Town |
| Crewe Alexandra | Port Vale | Stoke City | |
| Crystal Palace | Brighton & Hove Albion | Millwall | Charlton Athletic |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | Barnet | Leyton Orient | Brentford |
| Derby County | Nottingham Forest | Leeds United | Leicester City |
| Doncaster Rovers | Leeds United | Barnsley | Sheffield United / Sheffield Wednesday |
| Everton | Liverpool | Manchester United | Manchester City |
| Exeter City | Plymouth Argyle | Torquay United | Bristol Rovers / Yeovil Town |
| Fleetwood Town | Morecambe | Accrington Stanley | Barrow |
| Fulham | Queens Park Rangers | Chelsea | Brentford |
| Gillingham | Millwall | Charlton Athletic | Swindon Town |
| Hartlepool United | Darlington | Carlisle United | Sheffield Wednesday |
| Huddersfield Town | Leeds United | Bradford City | Sheffield Wednesday |
| Hull City | Leeds United | Leicester City | Scunthorpe United / Grimsby Town |
| Ipswich Town | Norwich City | West Ham United | Colchester United |
| Leeds United | Manchester United | Chelsea | Huddersfield Town / Millwall |
| Leicester City | Nottingham Forest | Derby County | Coventry City |
| Leyton Orient | Southend United | Brentford | Dagenham & Redbridge / West Ham United |
| Liverpool | Manchester United | Everton | Chelsea |
| Manchester City | Manchester United | Liverpool | Everton |
| Manchester United | Liverpool | Manchester City | Chelsea |
| Middlesbrough | Newcastle United | Sunderland | Leeds United |
| Millwall | West Ham United | Crystal Palace | Charlton Athletic |
| Milton Keynes Dons | Peterborough United | AFC Wimbledon | Northampton Town |
| Morecambe | Accrington Stanley | Burnley | Bradford City |
| Newcastle United | Sunderland | Middlesbrough | Manchester United |
| Northampton Town | Peterborough United | Milton Keynes Dons | Leicester City / Oxford United |
| Norwich City | Ipswich Town | Wolves | Leeds United |
| Nottingham Forest | Derby County | Leicester City | Sheffield United |
| Notts County | Nottingham Forest | Mansfield Town | Chesterfield |
| Oldham Athletic | Rochdale | Wigan Athletic | Huddersfield Town |
| Oxford United | Swindon Town | Reading | Wycombe Wanderers |
| Peterborough United | Northampton Town | Cambridge United | Leicester City / Milton Keynes Dons |
| Plymouth Argyle | Exeter City | Torquay United | Portsmouth |
| Port Vale | Stoke City | Crewe Alexandra | Shrewsbury Town |
| Portsmouth | Southampton | Brighton & Hove Albion | Millwall / Leicester City |
| Preston North End | Blackpool | Blackburn Rovers | Burnley |
| Queens Park Rangers | Chelsea | Fulham | Cardiff City / Stoke City |
| Reading | Aldershot Town | Swindon Town | Oxford United |
| Rochdale | Bury | Burnley | Oldham Athletic |
| Rotherham United | Doncaster Rovers | Sheffield Wednesday | Chesterfield |
| Scunthorpe United | Hull City | Grimsby Town | Doncaster Rovers |
| Sheffield United | Sheffield Wednesday | Leeds United | Barnsley / West Ham United |
| Sheffield Wednesday | Sheffield United | Barnsley | Leeds United |
| Shrewsbury Town | Walsall | Wolves | Port Vale |
| Southampton | Portsmouth | Brighton & Hove Albion | Bournemouth |
| Southend United | Colchester United | Leyton Orient | Dagenham & Redbridge |
| Stevenage | Milton Keynes Dons | Barnet | Dagenham & Redbridge |
| Stoke City | Port Vale | West Bromwich Albion | Wolves |
| Sunderland | Newcastle United | Middlesbrough | Leeds United |
| Swansea City | Cardiff City | Reading | Bristol City |
| Swindon Town | Oxford United | Reading | Bristol City / Bristol Rovers |
| Torquay United | Plymouth Argyle | Exeter City | Bristol Rovers |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Arsenal | Chelsea | West Ham United |
| Tranmere Rovers | Oldham Athletic | Bolton Wanderers | Everton / Liverpool |
| Walsall | Wolves | Aston Villa | West Bromwich Albion |
| Watford | Luton Town | Leeds United | Crystal Palace / Queens Park Rangers |
| West Bromwich Albion | Wolves | Aston Villa | Birmingham City |
| West Ham United | Millwall | Tottenham Hotspur | Arsenal / Chelsea |
| Wigan Athletic | Bolton Wanderers | Blackburn Rovers | Preston North End |
| Wolves | West Bromwich Albion | Birmingham City | Aston Villa |
| Wycombe Wanderers | Colchester United | Milton Keynes Dons | Oxford United |
| Yeovil Town | Bristol Rovers | Exeter City | |
| York City | Hull City | Leeds United | Bradford City |
Neutral opinion
The 20 most offensive clubs to the neutral football fan;
- Manchester United
Hated… Manchester United are the most disliked English football club - Liverpool
- Leeds United
- Chelsea
- West Ham United
- Stoke City
- Millwall
- Milton Keynes Dons
- Cardiff City
- Queens Park Rangers
- Manchester City
- Arsenal
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Crawley Town
- Birmingham City
- Aston Villa
- Hull City
- Nottingham Forest
- Reading
- Portsmouth
The 20 least offensive clubs to the neutral football fan were;
- Brentford
Buzzing… The Bees are the Football League’s least offensive club - Aldershot Town
- Burton Albion
- Bury
- Yeovil Town
- Cheltenham Town
- Dagenham & Redbridge
- Exeter City
- Torquay United
- Fulham
- Bournemouth
- Colchester United
- Leyton Orient
- Rochdale
- York City
- Carlisle United
- Crewe Alexandra
- Hartlepool United
- Tranmere Rovers
- Accrington Stanley
All stats compared with 2003 Football Fans Census : Rivalry Uncovered. However, this survey is not affiliated with the Football Fans Survey.