Latics fans on a roll, and pies, and crisps..
Reporter: DAWN MARSDEN
Date published: 19 August 2010
WITH Latics riding high at the top of League One, fans are doing their bit towards winning an unwanted accolade...
The NHS carried out an online survey to find the nation’s fattest football fans and Oldham made it into the top 20, finishing 17th after it was revealed that 51.2 per cent of Latics supporters are overweight.
The club topped a survey by www.rivals.net to find the country’s best football stadium pies in 2006.
Last season’s relegated League Two side Stockport County topped the table of shame with 61.3 per cent of fans classed as overweight.
Rotherham United, Hereford United, Macclesfield Town, Cheltenham Town, Plymouth Argyle, Southend United, Hull City, Millwall and Coventry completed the top 10.
Everton is the only Premier League club to make the top 20 with 51.2 per cent of fans being overweight.
Latics chief executive Alan Hardy said: “I’m surprised to see our fans make the top 20 as I see them every other week running to the pie stand — I would have thought that would keep them fit.
“This could well be evidence of the quality of the pies served at Boundary Park.
“Seriously, we encourage fans to look at their lifestyles and try and take more exercise.”
Queens Park Rangers proved themselves to be the healthiest fans with 73.3 per cent recording a healthy weight.
The healthy top 10 is completed by Burton Albion, Blackpool, Peterborough United, Barnet, Carlisle United, Derby County, Leicester City, Tranmere Rovers and Arsenal.
The Football Fan Fitness Challenge asked 25,000 fans about their lifestyle, health, weight, alcohol intake and smoking habits.
It found that 81 per cent of Wigan fans are non smokers — the best rate in the country — while more than a third of Blackburn fans enjoy a cigarette.
Fulham fans are the biggest boozers while 85 per cent of Spurs fans claim to drink sensibly.