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Both Manchester United and Manchester City named as teams with the least amount of local fans

Well... this is a bit awkward.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 14th September 2026

Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been identified as being teams with the least amount of local fans, according to a new survey.

We all know that supporting a local team can be seen as a mark of credibility among a certain kind of football fan, while on the flip side of that, not following a local team is often associated with being a ‘glory hunter’. But which Premier League clubs have the highest – and lowest – proportion of supporters living close to home?

Well, YouGov decided to use its profiles data to analyse the fanbases of all 20 Premier League clubs for the 2026-27 season to get the answer to this once and for all.

And it’s fair to say that it’s not looking the best for the Manchester teams.

The study found that, overall, Brighton & Hove Albion is the Premier League’s most local team – with 56% of fans based in the South East.

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Sunderland (50%) and Nottingham Forest (49%) supporters are the next-most likely to live in the same region as their teams, followed by Aston Villa, Brentford, Ipswich, Leeds, Fulham, Hull, and Crystal Palace fans rounding out the top 10.

At the other end of the table, Manchester United has the second-lowest proportion of local supporters, with only a quarter based in the North West (23%), with one in six (17%) actually living in London instead.

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And then as for Manchester City – who are widely considered to be the most successful team of the modern era – it has ranked fourth-bottom for local fans, as a quarter of the club’s supporters are based in the North West, with a fifth based in London (19%).

But although both United and City have found themselves towards the bottom end of the ranking, they are not the worst offenders.

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That title, unfortunately, does belong to another North West team though – Liverpool.

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Liverpool is the club with the lowest proportion of ‘local’ supporters, as just a fifth are based in the North West (21%) with the next highest concentration of fans can being found in London.

Featured Image – Johnny Gios (via Unsplash)

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Manchester Storm game postponed just one week after AO Arena return due to ‘technical issue with the ice’

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Manchester Storm's return to the AO Arena. Credit: Supplied

Manchester Storm’s second game back at the AO Arena had to be postponed over the weekend due to a ‘technical issue with the ice’.

The ice hockey team made a record-breaking return to the venue earlier this month, attracting some 11,000 fans to watch their match against Sheffield Steelers.

But just one week later, as Manchester Storm prepared to face off against The Nottingham Panthers, the game had to be postponed.

Fans were already inside the legendary venue when a ‘technical issue with the ice’ became apparent and the game was called off.

Manchester Storm and the AO Arena said they ‘sincerely apologise’ to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption.

The game has now been rescheduled to Wednesday 14 October, with tickets valid for the new fixture.

The full statement read: “Unfortunately today’s Manchester Storm game vs The Nottingham Panthers has been suspended due to a technical issue with the ice.

“We sincerely apologise to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption and would like to thank everyone in attendance for their patience.

“We advise attendees to retain their tickets which will remain valid for the rescheduled fixture.

“Those with single-game tickets for this game and seeking a refund are advised to contact their point of purchase.

“The rescheduled game will take place on Wednesday 14th October 2026.

“Manchester Storm and AO Arena would like to thank attendees for their understanding.”

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Featured image: Supplied

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Referees admit Manchester City’s derby-winning goal over Manchester United was a VAR ‘error’

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Old Trafford seats

Referees have admitted that Manchester City’s winning goal during yesterday’s Manchester derby was a VAR ‘error’.

In case you didn’t tune into the Manchester derby yesterday – which was held at Manchester United’s home ground, Old Trafford – star striker Erling Haaland’s goal handed Manchester City a 1-0 victory – in the end, even after fellow City player Phil Foden was given a straight red card and sent off in the twenty third minute.

Haaland‘s goal was initially deemed offside on the pitch, before VAR overruled the decision.

New City signing Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position as he attempted to play the ball before Haaland scored.

Fernandez appeared to impact the defending of Manchester United‘s Lisandro Martinez by attempting a diving header, despite not touching the ball.

Following the full-time whistle, United’s manager Michael Carrick said it was ‘worrying’ that the goal was allowed to stand, claiming that there was no ‘grey area’ when it came to determining whether Fernandez had interfered with play.

“It’s worrying if that’s how the game is seen by those who are officiating it,” he commented.

Pundit and former Manchester United star, Gary Neville, also expressed confusion at the decision, declaring on Sky Sports after the game: “I’m going to need the offside law explaining to me, because that has lost me, I have to say. I do think when they look back on this, they will recognise they got it wrong.”

Neville said he thinks that referee Michael Oliver will be ‘nervous’ about the goal yesterday, as will the rest of the officials.

And now, less than 24 hours after the match ended, refereeing body Pro Ref has since made what Sky Sports is calling an ‘unusual intervention by confirming that a review of the goal will take place.

A spokesperson for Pro Ref said in a statement: “It was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.

“Contact has been made with Manchester United to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement.

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“A review of the incident will take place.”

Featured Image – Jaleel Akbash (via Unsplash)

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