The Great British Sports Pub Guide
One Trick Pony Club
BirminghamThe Cleveland Bay
EastleighThe King's Head
GuildfordJunction
HarrowThe Frog & The Fiddle
CheltenhamThe Box
LeedsMode
WorcesterRocky’s Bar
GillinghamBelushi's
NewquaySpy Bar Jesmond
BykerMalones Aberdeen
AberdeenThe Sports Bar
at The Riviera Hotel
Philharmonic Cardiff
ButetownMalones Glasgow
GlasgowThomas 'A' Becket
DustonThe Nursery Tavern
NortonThe Four Provinces
CoventryThe Midland Hotel
BeestonThe Cherry Tree
WashingtonThe Duke of Cambridge
NottinghamThe Blue Bell
CorbridgeThe Eagle Inn
EaglescliffeLavery's
BelfastThe Antelope Inn
WarwickThe Ship Inn
WokinghamThe Box Deansgate
SalfordJolly Millers
Horton KirbyThe Swan
HemingstoneThe Kings Arms
BristolMojos Harrogate
HarrogateMambo Taunton
TauntonHind Bar
OadbyRailway Crawley
CrawleyBulls Head
Ashby-de-la-ZouchChequers
OxfordThe Falcon
NewportThe Vic
St.Andrews256 Wilmslow Road
ManchesterThe Hat & Rabbit
BalshamThe Longman
of Wilmington
One Trick Pony Club
City:Birmingham Region:West MidlandsThe Cleveland Bay
City:Eastleigh Region:HampshireThe King's Head
City:Guildford Region:SurreyJunction
City:Harrow Region:Greater LondonThe Frog and Fiddle
City:Cheltenham Region:GloucestershireThe Box
City:Leeds Region:LeedsMode Sports Bar& Grill
City:Worcester Region:WorcestershireRocky’s Bar
City:Gillingham Region:DorsetBelushis Newquay
City:Newquay Region:CornwallSpy Bar Jesmond
City:Byker Region:Newcastle Upon TyneMalones Aberdeen
City:Aberdeen Region:Aberdeen CityThe Sports Bar at The Riviera Hotel
City:Torquay Region:TorbayPhilharmonic Cardiff
City:Butetown Region:CardiffMalones Glasgow
City:Glasgow Region:GlasgowThomas 'A' Becket
City:Duston Region:NorthamptonshireNursery Tavern
City:Norton Region:SheffieldThe Four Provinces
City:Coventry Region:CoventryMidland Hotel
City:Beeston Region:NottinghamshireCherry Tree
City:Washington Region:SunderlandDuke of Cambridge
City:Nottingham Region:NottinghamThe Blue Bell
City:Corbridge Region:NorthumberlandEagle Inn
City:Eaglescliffe Region:Stockton-on-TeesLavery's
City:Belfast Region:BelfastThe Antelope Inn
City:Warwick Region:WarwickshireShip Inn
City:Wokingham Region:WokinghamThe Box Deansgate
City:Salford Region:SalfordJolly Millers
City:Horton Kirby Region:KentSwan
City:Hemingstone Region:SuffolkThe Kings Arms
City:Bristol Region:City of BristolMojos Harrogate
City:Harrogate Region:North YorkshireMambo Taunton
City:Taunton Region:SomersetHind Bar
City:Oadby Region:LeicesterRailway Crawley
City:Crawley Region:West SussexrBulls Head
City:Ashby-de-la-Zouch Region:LeicestershireChequers
City:Oxford Region:OxfordshireThe Falcon
City:Newport Region:Isle Of WightThe Vic, St Andrews
City:Fife Region:Fife256 Wilmslow Road
City:Manchester Region:Greater ManchesterThe Hat & Rabbit Bar & Kitchen
City:Balsham Region:CambridgeshireThe Longman of Wilmington
City:Brighton Region:Brighton and HoveScroll for more
What makes a sports pub great?
We surveyed sports fans across the country to find out what would drive them to the pub to take in the big events, and what they were feasting their eyes upon once they got there.
The top 20 sports pubs in the UK
Football for the win
Football is the big draw when it comes to the sport of choice at the local. 55.2% of sports fans questioned enjoy Premier League football at the pub, while 45.5% head to the local watering hole to watch Football League matches. Champions League games (37%) and international matches (34%) were a popular choice too. Meanwhile, the increase in popularity of women's football was also reflected in survey results, with 28.2% of viewers heading to the pub to watch the ladies in action.
Other sports that figured highly in results were boxing (23.5%) and rugby (21.9%) and major sporting tournaments, such as the Grand National, FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games (21.8%).
An average of 3.1 million people in the UK watched each televised Premier League game across the 2022-23 season
Best mates and big screens
When it comes to really drinking in the Great British Sports Pub experience, bar-side viewers are united in opinion when it comes to what matters. A quarter of sports fans say a buzzing atmosphere and good company are what matters most, while 92% of Brits look to large screens and indoor seating to tempt them through the pub door.
And what matters least? Table service came bottom of the league for pub offerings that mattered, with sports fans more than happy to head to the bar to get their orders in.
Other important factors:
Outdoor screens, multiple screens, audible sound, a broad range of food and snacks
Cheapest UK pints of beer
1
Clwyd
£2.09
2
Derbyshire & Highland
£3.00
3
East Riding of Yorkshire
£3.04
4
Staffordshire
£3.41
5
Cheshire
£3.45
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Bog standards
But what would put a punter off? Unclean toilet facilities were most likely to cause a sports fan to turn their nose up and head elsewhere to watch the game, with 46.7% of Brits calling out dirty loos as their top pub put-off. Not enough seats and poor-quality screens also figured highly among pub peeves for sports viewers.
The biggest sports pub put-offs
It’s coming home
The pub isn’t the venue of choice for the majority of Brits when it comes to TV sport, however. 42% said they’d rather settle down at home in front of the telly to watch the action with friends and family. 60% of sports fans already get their fix by paying for a sports TV subscription, while 14% only pay for specific sporting events such as pay-per-view boxing matches or individual tournaments.
Perfect match
When it comes to watching the big matches at home, sports fans have a similar taste for the action as those at the pub. Football again dominates the choices, followed closely by tennis and Formula 1.
Top 10 sports fans want to watch at home
But while the pub delivers on multiple screens, a buzzing atmosphere and pints by the plenty, there’s one important factor that makes home viewing really attractive – control! By choosing to watch sports at home, you put yourself in the driving seat. You can control the action: pausing when you need to take a break, re-watching the bits you might have missed, taking the volume as high or as low as you need it. And, more importantly than that, you get to choose the half-time drinks and snacks without having to wait to be served at a crowded bar!
Be the host with the most
Thinking of hosting a viewing of an upcoming match or sporting event? Be sure to get the details pitch-perfect. When it comes to the food sports fans enjoy munching most while they watch, here are the top five:
1
Crisps
38%
2
Chips
26%
3
Pizza
20%
4
Burger
18%
5
Nuts
13%
And what about drinks?
The same study found that beer is the top bevvy enjoyed by sports enthusiasts, followed closely by cider and soft fizzy drinks. Make sure you stock up though, as the majority claim to consume as many as 2-3 drinks per game.
Get in the game
To really get yourself into the heart of the action, you need a TV set-up that’s going to rock. Kitting out your living room with the latest and greatest TV tech is just what you need to get you pitch side for the big events.
A large screen TV should be first on your list of sports viewing essentials. When it comes to getting the full experience of watching TV sport, size really does matter, but be sure to measure up your wall or TV stand to see if a 50-in smart TV, 60-inch TV or a whopping 70-inch TV is going to work for you. If your room is a bit more on the cosy side, a choice from one of the best 4K TV options will ensure you’ll still enjoy a crystal-clear picture even if you’re sat up close.
Once you’ve decided how big you’re going to go, functionality should be the next factor to look into. You’ll find that most of the best smart TV options have a sports picture mode which boosts contrast, brightness and colour to bring the match to life.
Picture quality is all-important too. To get lightning-fast pixel-perfect following of balls, speeding cars and powerful punches, look into the best OLED TV options. OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) TVs look fantastic, delivering on smooth motion, rich colours and great viewing angles when it matters most.
Wherever you choose to take in your TV sport, be it at your local pub or on the living room sofa, one thing is for sure – a quality TV will make the experience even better!
For the index, pub data was collected from Fanzo.com and combined with data from UK Crime Stats and Numbeo.com, in order to provide the following factors: pint price rank, big screen rank, garden rank, outdoor screen rank, pet friendliness rank, screen number rank, pub rating rank, bookable rank, ASB rank.
Each factor was ranked 1-5 (1 being the worst and 5 being the best), for those that were yes or no factors such as having a garden, yes was 5 and no was 1. Each location was then scored out of 50 to give the top pubs for sports fans.
For the survey, we questioned 1,008 UK respondents aged 18+ who have an interest in sport. The survey was carried out between 25/08/2023 and 29/08/2023.Â
