Modern football tends not to be a cheap sport to follow for supporters and particularly those who travel to away matches too.
The dedication of fans following their team up and down the country to pay not only ticket prices, but also the cost of travel and the time taken to do so are big commitments to make. But supporters are brilliant with doing so to back their side through thick and thin to cheer their team on to success.
This very much the case with Bolton Wanderers this season, who always travelled well no matter the game and how far away from the University of Bolton Stadium it was. The miles were well and truly racked up this campaign in League One both by car and on trains.
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But how much did it cost to follow Ian Evatt's side during the course of the 2021/22 League One campaign and all the teams Wanderers faced in those 46 games? It has now become clear.
New research from OLBG has calculated how much it has cost fans of EFL clubs this season to follow their teams home and away. This was based on ticket prices (season tickets and average league ticket prices) and train costs - the most popular mode of transport to away games.
Plymouth Argyle fans shelled out the most compared to other League One clubs during the 2021/22 campaign, with a total estimated cost of £4,336.61. An overwhelmingly large chunk of that figure accounted for train travel - over £3,500.
Of course, this is down to the location of Plymouth, which means fans have to travel significant distances to almost every away game. Similarly, North East based Sunderland ranked second as fans costs added up to over £4,100 over the course of the season.
Again, the majority of this went on train travel, with the Makems also having longer journeys than most when it comes to away trips, which also includes the cost of Wembley for the playoff final against Wycombe Wanderers which they emerged victorious from and will be in the Championship next season.
Portsmouth placed in third but had significantly lower costs than Argyle and Sunderland, with just over £3,100 across the season. Location again was a big factor, with Pompey fans having to travel further than most like the aforementioned clubs above them.
Ipswich and Morcambe rounded off the top five, with the former's figure being very close to Portsmouth’s while the latter’s was closer to the £2,800 mark.
Wanderers were among the cheapest side to follow in League One this season. Only six teams had totals under what it cost to support the Whites.
According to the research, overall it is estimated to have cost £2,394.65 for Wanderers fans to support their team up and down the country. That is slightly less than what it cost to follow Shrewsbury Town and just over £50 more than what Wigan Athletic fans would have had to spend over the course of the campaign.
The Wanderers total includes the cheapest full adult season ticket price from last season of £289, which was charged after an initial early bird deadline. An average train ticket cost for Wanderers fans comes out at £70.55, with a total estimated to be £1,622.65.
Elsewhere, Doncaster fans incurred the lowest costs, with a total spend of £2,172.96 - some £2,000 less than Plymouth and Sunderland. This is due to Doncaster's central location within the UK, meaning they never have too far to go in any direction.
