Experiment shows football fans experience more stress than players

Posted by

Barclays know that it’s the fans who make the Barclays Premier League the greatest in the world.

That is why they’ve spent this season saying thank you, #YouAreFootball to fans all over the world.

To prove how much fans give on match day, Barclays staged a global football fan experiment in March 2014 using the latest heart-rate measuring wearable tech.

Superfans and Barclays Premier League legends were wired up to find out what fans’ hearts go through wherever they watch the Barclays Premier League

The experiment took place in five cities, involving four clubs and spanning two continents.

This included the Emirates Stadium, Anfield, Barclays Premier League Live in Johannesburg and world-famous fan pubs in London, Manchester and Liverpool.

Robert Pires, Shaun Goater, Gary Mabbutt and John Aldridge along with 36 fans from Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool all wore Firstbeat Bodyguard 2 devices to measure how their hearts were affected during this exciting weekend of football.

Barclays discovered that when your team concedes, your heart rate increases to 145.5% of resting, and when you score, your heart rate increases to 215.5% of resting.

Dr John Perrins, a consultant cardiologist, said: “A fan’s heart rate may behave differently from an athlete. Because athletes are so much fitter their heart rate and blood pressure respond more slowly to exercise.”

“The actual heart stress – increase in heart rate and blood pressure – experienced by the fan could actually be greater than the player’s.”

To see all the incredible results of this emotional weekend go to  <link>.

The global fan experiment was put on by Barclays as part of their continuing thank you #YouAreFootball campaign.

DARE Chief Creative Officer Sean Thompson said: “There’s a lot of tech out there to test the effort professional players put into the game, but the Barclays Premier League wouldn’t be anywhere without the fans.

For the first time, football supporters heart rates are tangibly tested – thereby demonstrating and quantifying the passion they share across the world.”