The effects of participation in European competitions on the domestic competitiveness of Polish football clubs

Objective: The objective of this study was to establish whether participation in European football competitions affects the sports performance of Polish football clubs in the domestic league. Accordingly, negative short-term effects and positive medium-term effects were hypothesized. Research Design & Methods: Based on the case of Polish Ekstraklasa, observations covering a 10-year competition period (seasons 2011/12 to 2020/21) were tested in regression models that included the league points and positions in the table as dependent variables and participation in the European UEFA competition and promotion to the group stage as explanatory variables. Findings: The results revealed that if a Polish football club competes in European competitions, there are neither negative consequences for its domestic competitiveness in the short run nor positive consequences in the medium-term period. Implications & Recommendations: Every season, football teams throughout Europe make an effort to internationalize themselves through UEFA competitions. This study demonstrates to sports managers that, contrary to common belief, engaging limited resources of football clubs outside the top leagues to compete in two competitions simultaneously has neutral effect. Contribution & Value Added: To date, researchers have been interested in determining the influence of international competitions on the level of competitive balance. This is the first study on the impact of participation in European UEFA competitions on sports performance in domestic leagues outside Western Europe.