Footy fans would skip op to be at the match

One in four football fans say they would rather miss a vital operation than the first game of the season.

Fans polled said they would also skip the first day in a new job or their own wedding to be at the match.

More than 1,000 football fans voted in the poll held by Yahoo! Search to mark the start of the Premiership season.

Some 28% admitted they would forego a vital operation, 26% would miss a holiday, and a further 21% would not turn up to the first day of a new job.

A brave 16% admitted they would miss their own wedding rather than the big match, but only 4% said they would sacrifice their honeymoon.

Patrik Oqvist, from Yahoo! Search, said: "We all know Britain is mad about football, but for fans to admit they would rather miss their big wedding day than their team's opening game really does show how passionate they are."