Revealed: Inside the tiny Essex village which is home to the biggest England football fans
Little-known Marks Tey searches Google for Three Lions stories more than anywhere else in the UK, including the former home of national team, Lilleshall
WHERE is the home of football in England? It’s Wembley, right... Or St George’s Park, perhaps?
Well, not exactly. In fact, the real spiritual home of the Three Lions is a tiny village in Essex.
According to data from Google, Marks Tey is home to England’s most passionate supporters, as they search for stories regarding the national squad more than anyone else in the United Kingdom.
The little Essex village — just six miles from Colchester — has a population of just over 2,500 people.
And despite their lack of size, it sees the highest number of Google searches from people trying to find out about the England squad.
They’ve even managed to oust Lilleshall — the former home of England’s training camp during the 1980s and 1990s.
Carnon Downs in Cornwall is the third most fanatical about Roy Hodgson's England team.
Amazingly, the Scottish town of Forfar comes 18th on the list of UK towns and villages searching the Three Lions on Google.
Crynant in Wales is 24th, and Crossmaglen in Northern Ireland is 25th.
However they don't come close to Marks Tey in Essex.
So what makes this the unlikely home of English football?
SunSport visited the village to speak to the residents and find out why they think Marks Tey is top of the pile.
Richard Hipkin, 49, owns the local wine shop — and is a true England supporter, having travelled all over the globe to follow his beloved Three Lions.
He said: “I’m amazed it’s Marks Tey.
“It’s not the biggest place in the world, but at the same time it is a football hotbed.”
Hipkin went on to discuss that being a massive football fanatic was always in his blood.
He added: “I was born in July 1966 during the World Cup. My dad missed my birth to watch the England v Uruguay quarter final.
“My very first game was at the age of four, dad took me to a Chelsea v Leeds cup final at Wembley — he didn’t even have a ticket but he managed to smuggle me in.
“My 30th birthday I went to Euro 96 where Stuart Pearce scored a famous penalty, I was there for that for my 30th.
“For my 40th I drove to Germany in the World Cup and watched England v Ecuador and my 50th is coming up right in the middle of this tournament.
“Again for my birthday I’ll be there somewhere – but if I’m not doing that, I’m watching the mighty Ipswich Town.”
Michael Beddoes — who was celebrating his 50th birthday by bringing his kids out for a kick-about — said he was shocked to hear his home had grabbed the No1 spot.
We found him at Marks Tey Football Club — fresh from their 10-1 drubbing at the weekend in the Colchester and East Essex Football League Division Two, a league in which they are bottom.
Colchester United fan Beddoes, said: “Maybe it’s because there is quite a big community of youngsters here.
“I usually use newspapers to read about football but I think it is more of a young persons’ thing now – the internet, tablets and iPhones... They’re on it all the time.”
Football coach Jack Thorton, 28, shared Beddoes' sentiment regarding the shock nature of his village’s table-topping antics — but remained optimistic regarding the Three Lions’ chances at Euro 2016 in France this summer.
Thornton said: “I think it’s absolutely crazy that we would have such a big hit rate for around here for such a small area.”
“[We could make the semis] if we’re lucky!”
Back in Essex, student Tom Wisdom, 17, added: “There are a lot of football fans in Marks Tey.
“I think it’s most ages, everyone uses the internet these days, and it’s young people and old who are interested in football.”
But it’s obviously not just the football fans that have a place in their heart for Roy Hodgson’s troops.
Even the non-football followers of Marks Tey love to follow the Three Lions, such as Natasha Barningham.
Barningham, 24, was quick to point out she was not an avid football fan — but said she does follow the fortunes of the national side.
The shop assistant said: “Well obviously it is quite surprising because we are quite a small little town.
“But many people here are massive football fans so on the other hand it kind of does even itself out.”
She added that the demand for Panini Euro 2016 football stickers have seen her shop stock them — even though it’s not their area of expertise.
Barnigham added: “To be honest we don’t really do the collectibles but we just had so many people asking for them [stickers] we thought why not.
“We have sold so many already, so there are clearly great football fans here.”To round off the day, SunSport headed to the local — and only — pub for a lively rendition of Three Lions.
Make no mistake, Marks Tey is passionate not just in Google searches, but in spirit too.
See the top ten places in the UK searching for the England squad, according to the Google data, below...
MAKING THEIR MARKS (TEY)
THIS IS not the first time the sleepy village of Marks Tey has made the headlines.
Back in 2008, the Essex residency hit the news after a 4x4 smashed through a local man’s house, causing massive damage.
On the incident, home-owner Victor Chapman said: “It was like a bomb.
“The room is where we normally put the grandchildren to let them watch Teletubbies in the morning.”