West Ham United top the property Premier League

After a characteristically dramatic opening weekend of Premier League football, seeing Arsenal beaten 4-3 by Liverpool and the champions, Leicester City, humbled by relegation favourites Hull City, Nationwide has crowned West Ham United champions of its annual House Price Premier League.

The Hammers pipped London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to top spot by one percentage point in the league which is based on the house price growth for the local authority containing each team's stadium. 

The London Borough of Newham, which contains the Irons' former stadium Upton Park as well as the club's shiny new home the Olympic Stadium, witnessed house price growth of 21% in the 12 month period to May 2016.

Spurs rose ten places to take second spot with house price growth of 20% in the London Borough of Haringey, which contains the club's stadium White Hart Lane.

In a London-dominated top four, Crystal Palace picked up third (19%) and Watford took fourth (16%).

The two Merseyside clubs, Everton and Liverpool, didn't fare so well, dropping nine places to joint 17th after the North West city recorded house price growth of just 2% in the 12 months to May.

As well as Spurs, another big improver was Manchester United, climbing 13 places since last season from 18th to 5th. House prices in the area surrounding Old Trafford increased by 12% in the year to May 2016.

Two of the newly promoted sides, Middlesbrough and Burnley, will be hoping that the property price table will not reflect their final league position come May 2017. Burnley came in at rock bottom with average house price growth of -6% in the 12 months to May, while Boro fared marginally better with growth of -1% finishing in 19th.

"While it’s no surprise to see London clubs top the house price table for each of the last four years, it is interesting to see all four corners of the capital have now won Nationwide’s annual accolade," says Andrew Harvey, a senior economic analyst at Nationwide.

"It remains the case that the pace of house price growth tends to decline as you move from the south to the north of the country."

"This disparity is noticeable in our ‘House Price Premier League’ with London at the top and the Northern clubs propping up the table," he adds.