The England cricket team’s alcohol consumption on the ill-fated recent Ashes tour may have grabbed the headlines but new data reveals their supporters matched them drink for drink.
Figures collated by Revolut and shared with City AM show that spending in Australian bars, nightclubs, restaurants and other venues by British visitors and expats reached £6.9m on match days during England’s 4-1 series defeat.
Within the five Test host cities, British Revolut customers splashed nearly £1m – more than twice as much as their Australian counterparts – in local hostelries during match windows as England slipped to yet another series loss Down Under.
The figures show the huge economic uplift generated for the local economy from major sports events, and follows visitors from the UK providing a similar boost to the Australian hospitality industry during last year’s British and Irish Lions tour.
The Ashes spending might have been far higher had England put up more of a fight on their way to a fourth consecutive series defeat in Australia.
Revolut data from England’s only match win, in the fourth Test in Melbourne, shows the result – combined with festive cheer – sparked a 475 per cent week-on-week increase in spending from Brits and Aussies alike to more than £2.7m.
‘Deliveroo diplomacy’: Ashes takeaway splurge
And it wasn’t just cricket fans in the host cities of Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney who relaxed their pursestrings during the Ashes.
In the rest of the country, British Revolut users drove a 541 per cent increase in spending on takeaways – a phenomenon being dubbed “Deliveroo diplomacy” – as they reached for food order apps in order to stay glued to their sofas during matches.
England’s cricketers have been forced to deny the existence of a drinking culture after some were spotted in an apparently inebriated state in between Ashes Test matches.
“The data is clear: hosting the Ashes is no longer just a sporting event; it is a vital economic pillar,” said Revolut head of growth Fiona Davies.
“What we see here is a ‘loyalty premium’. Even when the results on the pitch were disappointing, the British fan base continued to spend at record levels, particularly in the hospitality and delivery sectors.
“The 541 per cent jump in meal deliveries across the rest of the country is particularly revealing. It shows that the Ashes fever extends far beyond the stadium gates, reaching Brits in every corner of Australia.
“Whether it was fans in Noosa or expats in Sydney, the British contingent supported their team with their wallets as much as their voices.”