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Seasonal Home Advantage in English Professional Football; 1974–2018

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas Peeters

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam
    Tinbergen Institute Rotterdam)

  • Jan C. Ours

    (Tinbergen Institute Amsterdam
    Tinbergen Institute Rotterdam
    University of Melbourne
    CEPR)

Abstract

We study seasonal home advantage in English professional football over the period 1974 to 2018. We distinguish between absolute home advantage, enjoyed equally by all teams in a division, and relative home advantage, which differs among teams in the division. We find that absolute home advantage is substantial, ranging from 0.59 to 0.64 in terms of points per game or 0.44 to 0.46 in terms of goal difference. Likewise, clubs differ substantially in the relative home advantage they enjoy. Relative home advantage is positively related to within-team variation in attendance and the use of an artificial pitch. Despite big cross-divisional differences in attendance, absolute home advantage is about the same in all divisions. Finally, there is a substantial decline in absolute home advantage over time that materializes equally across divisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Peeters & Jan C. Ours, 2021. "Seasonal Home Advantage in English Professional Football; 1974–2018," De Economist, Springer, vol. 169(1), pages 107-126, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:decono:v:169:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1007_s10645-020-09372-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10645-020-09372-z
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    4. J. James Reade & Dominik Schreyer & Carl Singleton, 2022. "Eliminating supportive crowds reduces referee bias," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(3), pages 1416-1436, July.
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    6. Peeters, Thomas & van Ours, Jan C., 2022. "International Assortative Matching in the European Labor Market," IZA Discussion Papers 15521, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Rui Matos & Diogo Monteiro & Raul Antunes & Diogo Mendes & João Botas & João Clemente & Nuno Amaro, 2021. "Home-Advantage during COVID-19: An Analysis in Portuguese Football League," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-8, April.
    8. Carl Singleton & J. James Reade & Dominik Schreyer, 2023. "A decade of violence and empty stadiums in Egypt: when does emotion from the terraces affect behaviour on the pitch?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 65(3), pages 1487-1507, September.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Professional football; Home advantage; Attendance; Managers;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Z21 - Other Special Topics - - Sports Economics - - - Industry Studies
    • L83 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism

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