Prince George, B.C. – All set for the Super Bowl?  According to a poll by Insights West, 43% of British Columbians surveyed say they are expressing excitement for the SuperBowl  game that will see  the Seattle Seahawks  battle the New England Patriots.

No surprise that those who are excited are pulling for the Seahawks  with only 5% saying they will be cheering for the Patriots.

How  dedicated are those  Seahawk fans in B.C.? According to the poll,  21% say they  consider themselves hardcore fans,  16% say  they are ‘regular’ fans , 20% say they are regular followers, and  13% say they are playoff followers.

“The NFL appears to be particularly attractive to middle-aged British Columbians, who are more likely to say they are excited about the Super Bowl and also more likely to express allegiance to the Seahawks,” says Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs, at Insights West. “Still, the popularity of the Seahawks has not dented support for the two most established sports franchises in the province.”

The most popular  professional sports team in the Province  remains the Canucks, with  40% describing themselves as hardcore or regular fans, while  30% say they are hardcore or regular fans of the BC Lions.  The Vancouver Whitecaps  trail with 15% saying they are hardcore or regular fans of the soccer team.

The Canucks also seem to have the  jump on marketing of  branded  gear with  49% saying they  own  merchandise or clothing  with the team’s logo.  That compares to 28% for the BC Lions , 13% for the Seahawks and 12% for the Vancouver Whitecaps.