Report: Football really can be life or death

Football teams’ poor performances on the pitch may prove to be literally heartstopping for fans, it emerged today.

A new report showed a significant increase in the number of heart attack and stroke deaths among male supporters whose sides have just suffered a home defeat.

Dr Bill Kirkup, North East director of public health, examined the frequency of the deaths over five years in Leeds, Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

He found that home defeats for those cities’ teams led to a 30% rise in the number of male deaths from heart attacks and strokes on the day of the match.

The most extreme example was in Sunderland – whose long-suffering fans have seen their side relegated this season – where the rise in deaths was 63%.

Cities where teams have had a little more success suffered lower but still significant increases – 19% in Newcastle, 18% in Middlesbrough, and 17% in Leeds.

Dr Kirkup co-authored the new study, A Matter Of Life And Death: Population Mortality And Football Results, with fellow researcher David Merrick, of the Yorkshire and Humber public health team.

The pair believe emotional and psychological stress prompted by a negative result can trigger the potentially deadly conditions among football fans and estimate the true figure might be even higher than 30 per cent.

That is because they were able to look only at the whole population around each club – some of whom would not have been interested in the match score. Deaths in women were not related to results.

Dr Kirkup said: “We have found a consistent link between football results and deaths from heart attacks and strokes.

“Our results are new, but not surprising. People are at risk through smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise – but a heart attack or stroke can be precipitated by a ‘trigger factor’ such as anger, frustration or low mood.”

Dr Kirkup, who is a lifelong supporter of Newcastle United and a current season ticket holder, added: “We are not suggesting that men shouldn’t go to football matches.

Nobody could possibly go through life avoiding everything that might involve anger, frustration or other trigger factors such as unaccustomed exertion.

“The way to avoid heart attacks and strokes is to reduce underlying risk - don’t smoke, improve diet and take regular physical activity.”

“As an avid football fan myself, I am only too aware of what an emotional roller-coaster watching your team play can be.

“One of the things that prompted me to look at the effects on health was my experience of following Newcastle United. In the last two years I have personally given first aid to three supporters who have collapsed after games.

“The late Bill Shankly once said ’Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that’.

“Our results remind us that, to many, football is much more ’a matter of life and death’ than it is ’only a game’.”