Stranded Fans: How limited public transport options and fixture scheduling are hitting fans’ pockets & the planet

New research highlights the alarming cost to fans’ pockets and the planet when they cannot get home after the final whistle. The trend is being driven by limited public transport options and fan-unfriendly fixture scheduling, despite widespread appetite amongst fans for sustainable public transport options when travelling to games. 

The research, undertaken by Away End in collaboration with the Cool Down - Sport for Climate Action Network, and with support from campaign group Pledgeball, shows that stranded fans are a significant problem across the English Football Leagues (EFL).

By gathering data from all 1,656 fixtures from the 2024/25 season across the three leagues that make up the EFL in England and Wales, the research indicates the significant costs to fans' pockets and the planet. Action to stop fans getting stranded could either save them over £50 million in additional costs or cut emissions by up to 23,000 tonnes CO2e, which is equivalent to taking over 5,300 vehicles off the road for an entire year.