Experts reveal the cheapest place to watch football in the UK - just £3.40 for a pint

With the football season back on, fans will be off to the pub to watch a match, but it could cost you more depending on where you live. From Premier League giants to lower-league thrillers, fans will be piling into pubs across the country to support their team.

But while the passion runs deep everywhere, the price of actually watching a match with a drink and some food can vary wildly depending on where you live. A new study by football fanatics BetWright has crunched the numbers to find out which places are the cheapest for watching the footie.

Researchers looked at 73 major areas across the UK, analysing four affordability-focused metrics to calculate which cities make match day in the pub the most budget-friendly.

The study considered the number of sports pubs per 10,000 residents, the average cost of travelling to the pub, the price of a domestic pint, and the average cost of a pub meal.

To ensure fairness, each metric was indexed to balance differences between larger and smaller cities, then weighted according to importance: travel cost (30%), beer price (30%), food price (25%), and sports pub availability (15%).

Together, these weighted scores produced an overall ranking, according to BetWright.

Salford takes the crown as the cheapest city to watch football, with a total score of 72.68.

Despite ranking only 12th for sports pubs and 21st for travel costs (£14.18), Salford shines with pint prices at just £3.40, the second cheapest in the UK, and food averaging £12.50, placing it 6th.

Given Salford's close ties to Manchester United and Manchester City, it's fitting that fans here get some of the best value in the country for soaking up the atmosphere.

Preston comes in 2nd place with a score of 71.24, proving Lancashire really is a bargain spot for football lovers.

Travel to the pub costs just £11.68, one of the cheapest in the country (6th place), and the city also boasts some of the most affordable meals (£12.47, ranking 5th) and drinks (£4.00, 5th place).

With over 41 sports pubs per 10,000 residents, Preston offers both choice and value for supporters.

Lancaster, in 3rd place with a score of 70.15, delivers unbeatable value when it comes to what's on the table.

Beer here is the cheapest in the entire country at just £3.00, and food costs average £10.00, also ranked 1st.

While it doesn't have as many sports pubs (46th place) and travel costs are on the higher side (£21.66, ranking 62nd), Lancaster proves that once you're there, your wallet breathes easy.

Ely ranks 4th with a score of 69.99 and Lichfield grabs 5th place with 69.71 points.

At the other end of the scale, Lisburn, London, Cambridge, and Oxford fared poorly, each scoring under 20 thanks to pricey food, expensive drinks, and high travel costs.

Meanwhile, some of the UK's biggest football hubs posted surprisingly average results: Birmingham ranked 42nd, Newcastle 46th, Leeds 50th, Glasgow 53rd, Liverpool 36th, Manchester 67th, and Edinburgh 68th.

Full list of the top 20 cheapest places:

1. Salford

2. Preston

3. Lancester

4. Ely

5. Lichfield

6. Kingston-Upon-Hull

7. Wakefield

8. York

9. Bradford

10. Sheffield

11. Nottingham

12. Leicester

13. Wrexham

14. Newport

15. Wolverhampton

16. Chester

17. Stirling

18. Westminster

19. Derry

20. Colchester