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The number of British football fans travelling to destinations across Europe in support of their favourite teams has nearly doubled in the last five years, according to new data from the Foreign Office.

Last season alone, 165,000 football supporters travelled abroad, up from 65,000 in the 2002/03 season. Furthermore, it is not just the top Premier League teams that garner a following.

Last year, 50 fans from the welsh town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire travelled to Sweden to watch their team take on Gefle, while 40,000 Liverpool fans flew to Athens for the Champions League final against AC Milan.

While Liverpool fans were the most travelled last year (52,000), fans of Manchester United (19,000), Chelsea (13,000), Tottenham Hotspur (13,000) and Arsenal (5,000) all went abroad in droves to cheer on their teams.

Kevin Miles, of the Football Supporters' Federation, commented: 'The number of matches undertaken by UK teams in Europe varies each season depending on the success of each team in their respective competitions but due to a change of format in European competitions and the reduced cost of travel there has been a sharp increase in the number of supporters travelling abroad to follow the beautiful game.'

With the qualification of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Celtic and Rangers for the Champion's League this season, similar numbers are likely this coming season. The final is set to be held in Moscow for the first time.

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