JO HAYWOOD goes in search of real life Footballers' Wives.

FOOTBALLERS' wives are few and far between at York City. They do exist, but their numbers have dwindled over the years and they are now rarely seen. A bit like giant pandas.

Girlfriends are plentiful, thanks to younger players, but wives are a rare breed. And unlike their televisual counterparts - the terrible trio of Tanya, Shannon and Amber - York wives are more likely to be seen in the cereal aisle at Sainsbury's than blinging their way on to the front pages of the tabloids.

So, does ITV's Footballers' Wives have any basis in reality?

"It's not that far-fetched," said Sophie McGill, York City communications director. "It doesn't quite reflect what happens at York, but it certainly fits with the stories you hear in the industry of what happens at the Premier League clubs."

She is not a regular watcher of the programme, but saw this season's opener in which babies were swapped, a groupie was raped and a dog did something unspeakable to Ricky. "It's great stuff," she said. "And it does reflect the fact that, as a general rule, footballers' wives tend to be good-looking girls, even if the player himself is not much to look at."

While York players are not earning the millions handed out to the fictional Earls Park boys, they are not exactly destitute either. Younger players take home somewhere in the region of £20,000 a year, while the more senior players are on at least double that.

"Some of them are on pretty serious money," said Sophie. "We're not talking six figures, but they do all right for themselves."

Some of the older players will also have accumulated quite a pot of money over the years.

"The transfer market has now collapsed, but five or six years ago quite ordinary players were being transferred for £300,000 plus, of which they got a decent percentage," said Sophie. "If they got transferred for say £500,000, they could easily pocket £50,000 for themselves."

A key difference between the footballers' wives on the TV and those at Bootham Crescent is, however, the camaraderie.

While Tanya and the girls attend every match and spend endless hours in each other's company, eating, drinking and bitching, the York wives rarely meet.

"In football in the lower reaches it's very rare for a player to be on a long-term contract," said Sophie. "That means there isn't the security for them to feel able to move their family.

"There's also the fact that York is a desirable place to live, so house prices are high."

We would have liked to speak directly to one of the Minstermen's wives, but they wouldn't play ball. Maybe it runs in the family.

Updated: 10:46 Tuesday, April 19, 2005