If you thought the property market has little to do with football. Think again! A recent study by a magazine shows that about 20% of prime country homes are bought by footballers.

If you have been under the impression that the only property that football is concerned with is its pitch, think again or question an estate agent in places like Cheshire or Surrey.

Country Life, a rural set magazine, annually analyses prime country homes that are sold for more than 2m. But the point to notice is that 40% of such properties are bought by entrepreneurs, 20% by people employed in the service sector and 20% to professional footballers.

The top end of the Cheshire property market is dominated by players from Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton, Blackburn and Manchester City. A Real Estate Consultancy firm working on a confidential document for FA claims that footballers spend an approximate 85m a year on homes in Britain.

All this results in the growth of small industry of buying agents and support companies. There are also developers, which specialise in building footballers homes. The Allos group, headed by an Iraqi developer Mayod Allos, has constructed houses for Jamie Redknapp, Graeme Le Saux and Ian Walker; plus is currently working on three current Chelsea players.

Even footballers holiday homes generate work within the property industry.