This summer, more than 7,000 weddings in England are scheduled to clash with the national football team’s matches, according to research. The most significant overlap is expected to occur on Thursday, 20th June, when England plays against Denmark in the group stage of the European competition. Statistician Ed Jefferson analyzed government data to identify potential match days for England and found the days with the highest wedding frequencies in previous years.
This led to the calculation of the total number of weddings that could coincide with England’s upcoming matches. As part of Snickers’ promotion, one lucky couple will win a football screening room if their wedding coincides with a key England game. A survey of 2,000 football fans, commissioned by Snickers, revealed that 80 percent of couples getting married this summer are worried about their wedding clashing with an England match.
Booking a wedding on a key matchday was cited as one of the biggest concerns, along with forgetting tickets at home or leaving a game early only to miss an equalizer. The research also found that over a quarter of British football fans would secretly watch a game during a wedding, while 41 percent would constantly check the score on their phones. Additionally, more than one in 10 football fans admitted they would slip away from a wedding to go to a pub in order not to miss a match minute.
Kerry Cavanaugh, from Mars Wrigley, expressed understanding of the fans’ devotion to the game and emphasized the relatable aspect of experiencing one’s own “own goal” moments.