As the nation gears up for a super summer of sport, a
new study by Snickers reveals that over 7,000 soon-to-be-newlyweds have been plunged into crisis mode having booked a wedding day which clashes with a key England match this summer.

The study from Snickers reveals that 80% of couples getting married this Summer are already worried that their wedding might clash with an England match. And it would appear that they have good reason
to worry – as 68% of football fans are also worried that a wedding they’re attending will clash with a key England game this summer, with 29% of football fans considering declining a wedding invitation if the clash arises.

Snickers worked with leading statistician Ed Jefferson to map wedding booking data against England’s possible route to the final and combined this with a survey of 2,000 football fans to compile
the ‘Snickers Own Goals Report’. The report reveals that 7,311 weddings are due to take place in England which clash with a key England match this summer. The confectionary brand is offering one lucky couple the chance to win a football screening room to help
combat this scheduling conundrum if their wedding lands on the same day as a key England game.

The report suggests that wedding guests are already considering the excuses they’ll make, including faking a family emergency (41%),
feigning an illness (36%), or reporting a work emergency (35%).

Booking a wedding on a key match day was cited as one of the biggest ‘own goals’ with leaving tickets at home (41%), leaving early because they think their team has lost only for them to equalize
(35%), and missing a goal to get food (34%) also making the shortlist.

Further findings from the Snickers Own Goals Report reveal that over a quarter (27%) of British football fans admit they would secretly watch a game during a wedding and
41% would constantly check the score on their phones. Over one in ten (13%) would even sneak away from a wedding to the pub to not miss a match, with 13% encouraging the couple to show the game at the wedding.

The research found that football fans from Southampton and Coventry are the most likely to find an excuse to miss a wedding for a game (43%), followed by Birmingham fans
(35%). People from Worcester are the most likely to sneak away from a wedding to watch the game at the local pub (23%) whereas half of football fans from Southampton would never miss a game for a social occasion (47%).

To avoid the wedding guest excuses flowing in, Snickers is saving the day by offering one lucky couple the chance to win the ultimate football screening room at their wedding, as well as a Snickers
themed wedding cake.

Kerry Cavanaugh, Business Unit Director at Mars Wrigley, said:
“We all know that feeling of scoring an own goal, that moment of realisation when you’ve turned up at the wrong grounds or when you hear crowds cheering at a goal just as you’ve nipped to get a hot dog. That’s why, this summer, Snickers is helping the nation’s
fans by offering brides and grooms, whose wedding falls on an England or Scotland game day, to win the ultimate screening room and avoid scoring an own goal on their big day.”

With Brits gearing up for a summer of sport, Snickers has teamed up with football superstars Luka Modrić and Bukayo Saka to help football fans steer clear of ‘own goals’ this summer.