No need to get shirty about East-West divide – Villa fans are welcome at East Midlands Airport
Any divide between East and West Midlands is given the boot when it comes to football shirt sales at the region’s favourite airport.
Even before their recent Europa League victory, Aston Villa were riding high in the shirt sales league table at East Midlands Airport.
The Birmingham-based team which ended its 30-year trophy drought with an emphatic win against Freiburg came second behind Liverpool, with Manchester United in third, according to data released by the UK's largest airports group, MAG.
MAG ‘s league table was created by analysing shirt sales at JD Sports outlets at its three airports, Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands. 70% of the UK population lives within two hours of a MAG airport and together they handle more than 66m passengers a year.
Liverpool took top spot at all three of MAG's airports despite a trophy-less season that frustrated Kop fans. The Reds condemned Manchester United to second spot at the Red Devils' home airport, while Premier League champions Arsenal were second at Stansted, relegating their closest top-flight club Tottenham Hotspur to fourth place.
Across MAG, Wrexham AFC finished third after Liverpool and Manchester United following the Hollywood hype linked to Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac’s involvement in the club.
At East Midlands, as well as showing support for a team from the Midlands, passengers revealed themselves to be the most cosmopolitan, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, AC Milan and Inter Miami all making the top 10. Shirts are available at the airport’s JD Sports store, which moved into the largest retail unit in the terminal last year as part of ongoing improvements.
East Midlands Airport’s Commercial Director Adam Andrews said: “The sale of football shirts at our JD Sports outlet offers a fascinating insight into some of our customers.
“The prominence of Aston Villa shirt sales backs up our understanding that many people choose to travel from the West Midlands so they can enjoy a hassle-free start to their holidays at East Midlands Airport.”