CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

With the announcement of New York City FC’s ambitious project to construct a new stadium featuring a seven-story LED-lit entrance, the allure of football stadiums remains globally renowned, captivating fans worldwide. Amidst this fascination, which Premier League stadium tours offer fans the most rewarding experience for their investment? 

The experts at SeatPick created a points-based index system evaluating several metrics, including: average Google reviews, tour pieces, tour duration, number of trophies to see and cost per minute, to ultimately decide which teams provide the best value experience for fans.

SeatPick can reveal that City Ground, home of Nottingham Forest FC, is the best value Premier League stadium tour with an overall value score of 8.3/10. With two back-to-back European Champions League titles to their name (1979 and 1980), City Ground’s stadium tour is enhanced with even more history and value. The stadium benefits from a high Google rating of 4.7/5, which is 0.4higher rating than Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park Stadium (4.3/5), as well as impressive adult tour prices which start at just £15. This is half the price of Arsenal FC’s Emirates Stadium, where adult tour prices start at £30, with tours lasting 30 minutes less (60 minutes).

Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium tour ranks second, with an overall value score of 6.9/10. Tours at Anfield last an average of 80 minutes with a standard adult ticket price of £23, which is equivalent to £0.29 per minute. Although tickets are £8 more expensive than a tour at City Ground, Liverpool have 68 trophies to their name — 77% more trophies than Nottingham Forest (15) — making the tour a worthwhile experience for fans. As well as this, fans visiting Anfield can benefit from free parking and take part in the stadium’s abseiling experience, where they can scale the venue and then embark on a 100ft descent down the stadium. 

Newcastle United FC’s stadium tour of St James’ Park is the third-best value in the Premier League, with an overall value score of 6.4/10. The standard adult ticket prices start at £20, which is 28% cheaper  than Manchester United FC’s stadium tour of Old Trafford (28%), at a cost of £0.22 per minute compared to £0.31. Recent reports reveal that Newcastle have consulted leading architect firm Populous, which designed the iconic Tottenham Hotspur stadium, to redevelop St James’s Park — which is sure to add additional value to the stadium’s tour.

Arsenal FC’s Emirates Stadium tour ranks tenth for value in the Premier League, with an overall value score of just 4.0/10. Tied with Burnley’s tour of Turf Moor, a tour of Emirates lasts just 60 minutes on average, which is the joint shortest offering in the top 10.  As well as this, the standard adult ticket price starts at £30 — the most expensive in the ranking — charging £2 more than a tour of Old Trafford, despite having more than half (32) Manchester United’s number of trophies potentially on display (69). 

The results: The best value Premier League stadium tours:

Reports suggest that gym equipment can harbour more germs than a toilet seat, with 70% of bacteria found in gyms found to be harmful to humans. But what about our own gym wear and towels?

You may be shocked to find out that new research by Live Football Tickets has found that one in eight Brits wear their sports bras and pants up to six times to the gym before washing them, and over 200,000 Brits only wash their gym towels every two months.

While guidance shows that workout clothes should be washed after every workout (if you produce sweat), Live Football Tickets surveyed 2,000 UK residents to discover exactly how often they wash their gym wear, with some rather grim findings. 

Key Findings:

• What equates to over 4 million Brits (6%) wear their sports underwear (bra/pants) for seven or more workouts before washing them.
• Over a third (36%) of Brits don’t wash their gym towels after each use.
• A quarter (25%) of Brits are not concerned about hygiene/bacteria when it comes to gym wear.

How many times Brits wear sports underwear (bra/pants) before washing

Through the survey of 2,000 UK adults, the research found that one in nine (11%) Brits admit to wearing their sports underwear up to FOUR TIMES before choosing to wash them.

One in five (20%) respondents wear their sports underwear 2-3 times before washing them. 

A further one in nine (11%) went as far as to wear their sports bra or pants 4-6 times during a workout before washing. 

Shockingly, six percent of Brits even admitted to wearing their sports underwear for over seven workouts before washing.

Men (24%) were more likely to wait 2-3 workouts before washing their gym undergarments, compared to women (16%). 

Men were also more likely (12%) to wear underwear 4-6 times before washing, compared to women (9%).

Most respondents (55%) admitted odour was the deciding factor in their decision to wash their gym wear, with less than half (46%) washing due to potential germs and bacteria.

How often Brits wash their gym towels after the gym

Survey results also show a breakdown of age, gender and location. For the complete survey findings, please view here.

An astonishing 36% of people (over a third of respondents) admitted to not washing their gym towels after each use, and roughly a third of that amount (12%) owned up to only washing their gym towels once a week. 

Less than a fifth (18%) of UK residents say they wash their gym towel after each use.

A further 3% of Brits admitted to only washing their gym towels every 2-3 weeks, and 2% either washed their towels once a month or never. 

How many times Brits wear running shoes/trainers before washing

A surprising 32% don’t keep track of how often they clean their gym trainers, while over one in five (22%) worked out seven or more times before giving them a wash. 

A further one in six (17%) worked out 2-3 times before giving their trainers a clean, with just one in seven (13%) washing their trainers after every workout. 

This is following concerning study findings from Health, which has revealed that you can contract skin infections through contact with different surfaces at the gym. Certain types of bacteria, viruses,and fungi thrive in warm, moist environments, including the insides of your running shoes, and the bottom of your gym bag.

Maintaining clean gym wear

To keep your gym wear in tip top condition, follow the steps below:

1. Wash your gym towel and any workout clothes separately from your other laundry to prevent cross-contamination.
2. The odour-building bacteria will build up on the inside of your workout gear, so washing inside out will give it a more thorough clean.
3. Use a detergent that’s specifically formulated to handle tough sweat marks and malodour. 
4. Ensure your washing machine is clean by regularly disinfecting it to avoid transferring bacteria to your gym wear, and avoid fabric softeners.
5. Air dry your gym gear and make sure clothes or towels are completely dry before use, as bacteria thrive in damp environments

This year, the UK’s fastest-growing online beauty retailer, Face the Future, is on a huge mission dedicated to revolutionising consumers’ attitudes to sun and skin safety. Forget the occasional sunscreen slathering reserved for your summer holidays, Face the Future wants to make daily sunscreen a habit, so has launched the 366 Days of SPF campaign.

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The 366 Days of SPF campaign has launched with a YouGov survey of over 2,000 participants – and clearly highlights that the UK population is not adhering to SPF guidelines, putting their skin health at risk.

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The vast majority of the UK does not currently follow SPF guidance and does not feel like it is necessary to. Beauty standards of seeking a tan currently outweigh attitudes of worrying about the possibility of skin cancer, and almost half of the population are not familiar with the symptoms of skin cancer.

A large proportion of people find SPF to be expensive (64%), which is putting their skin health at risk.

• Only 22% of the UK apply SPF daily

• 68% of the UK are worried about sunburn and only 61% are concerned about skin cancer
• 64% of the UK say SPF is expensive​
• 40% of the UK who wear SPF only buy it when they go on holiday
• 45% of the UK are not worried about getting skin cancer​
• 46% of the UK are not familiar with the symptoms of skin cancer​
• 56% of the UK who actively seek a tan do so for confidence​

Face the Future is combatting the SPF squeeze, by cutting VAT on SPF products as part of the campaign.

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Director and Co-Owner at Face the Future, Julia Barcoe-Thompson, says: “We believe that everyone in the UK has the right to sun safety and skin health. At Face the Future, we have SPF and suncare products at all price points to ensure that we remain accessible to everyone. However, to further support consumers in their choices, as part of the 366 Days of SPF campaign, we will be cutting VAT on all SPF products for from 14th March – 31st May 2024. We hope that this additional 20% saving will encourage UK consumers to begin or continue their SPF journey.”

The fear of getting sunburn is greater than that of skin cancer for the UK, and almost half of the population are not worried about getting skin cancer, nor are they familiar with the symptoms.

• 45% of the UK are not worried about getting skin cancer​
• 46% of the UK are not familiar with the symptoms of skin cancer​
• 68% of the UK are worried about sunburn and only 61% are concerned about skin cancer

Nearly a third (31%) of the population actively seek a tan, over half of whom do so to look more attractive (53%) and confident (56%). Despite the fact that 72% are concerned about the risks.

• 31% of the UK don’t think they have any sun damage​
• 22% of the UK actively seek a tan but feel concerned about the risks​
• 44% of the UK attribute their skin damage to sunburn, 19% say it’s pigmentation, and 16% say it is due to sunspots

Almost half of the UK population say they do not follow medical advice on wearing SPF on a daily basis.

• 45% of the UK tend to disagree/strongly disagree with the medical advice to wear SPF every day, even indoors and during winter
• 48% of the UK say that daily SPF is one of the most powerful anti-agers for your skin​
• 35% of the UK usually wear less than SPF30​

Almost 1/4 of the UK wear SPF daily, with over half only applying when it is sunny outside. And around 1 in 7 never apply SPF.

• Only 22% of the UK apply SPF daily
• 55% only applying SPF when it’s sunny​
• 14% of the UK never apply SPF​
• Only 8% re-apply their SPF in a day

The 366 Days of SPF campaign is backed by Amy Callaghan MP, whose VAT Burn campaign calls on the UK government to remove VAT from sunscreen products that have a health benefit. Callaghan says: “I’m delighted to be partnering with Face the Future to support their 366 days of SPF campaign. Too many people still don’t protect their skin from the sun, as their research has found, putting them at risk of melanoma and other skin cancers. It’s high time the UK government took note of these stats and enacted meaningful action to reduce deaths from melanoma and other skin cancers.”

It is also in association with the British Skin Foundation, who comment: “Good sun safety behaviours can play a vital role in reducing the risk of skin cancer, including potentially deadly melanoma. The skin is the body’s largest organ, and it can often be overlooked. That’s why it’s fantastic to see Face the Future commit to educating the wider public on important skin health matters.”

Phil Brady, British Skin Foundation Chief Operating Officer

Kimberley Medd, Head of Clinic, Face the Future, says: “No matter the weather, the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays are ever present throughout the year, causing damage to the DNA in your skin cells that can result in premature ageing, skin cancer and a host of other skin-related issues. Because of this, it’s important to wear your shield of UV protection every day to protect your skin against the likes of melanoma skin cancer.”