Offside? Women Understand Rule Better Than Men.

MORE women than men understand the offside rule in football according to a new survey.

One thousand fans nationwide were questioned and results show that one in four women get the offside rule better than their male counterparts who only had one in five answering correctly.

But few men or women have a decent grasp of the complexities of football as a business and especially how players' contract actually work.

Overall, fans in the North East of England came out on top as the most knowledgeable supporters in the game with seven out of ten answering on-pitch questions correctly. Midlands fans had a better grasp of the business side than any other region, but fans from London scored an own goal being the least knowledgeable in Britain.

The poll was set up by the Open University Business School and the Football League Trust as an introduction to a new business management degree in sport and football.

Details of the full degree or how to sign up to the free course are on The Open University website at www.openuniversity.co.uk/football/