OVER 121,000 Irish fans came to Britain to watch Premier League football in 2014, new figures show.
Ireland boasted the highest number of fans that visited the country to catch all of the top-flight action, with Old Trafford and the Emirates Stadium the most popular venues.
Norway followed Ireland with 93,000 fans, then Sweden (58,000), the US (53,000) and the Netherlands (43,000), according to research by VisitBritain.
There was an overall increase in the number of foreign football fans heading to Britain last year to 800,000, contributing around £700million to the economy.
Manchester United and Arsenal were the most popular destinations for travelling fans, with each team welcoming 109,000 visitors in 2014.
Liverpool’s Anfield had 99,000 foreign fans attend games, with 89,000 overseas Chelsea supporters heading to Stamford Bridge and 51,000 to Wembley Stadium.
Premier League chief Richard Scudamore said the rise was "very encouraging", with the top-flight of English football drawing an estimated 1.2billion fans worldwide.
Foreign visitors watching live football (By nationality - 2014)
Ireland 121,000
Norway 93,000
Sweden 58,000
USA 53,000
Netherlands 43,000
Most Foreign Visitors (English stadiums - 2014)
Old Trafford (Manchester United) 109,000
Emirates Stadium (Arsenal) 109,000
Anfield (Liverpool) 99,000
Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) 89,000
Wembley 51,000
See More: Fans, Featured, Football, Ireland, Premier League, VisitBritain
