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Scoring goals: The impact of English Premier League football teams on local university admissions

Author

Listed:
  • Carl Singleton

    (Economics Division, University of Stirling)

  • Adrian r. Bell

    (Henley Business School, University of Reading)

  • Andy Chung

    (Department of Economics, University of Reading)

  • J. James Reade

    (Department of Economics, University of Reading)

  • Andrew Urquhart

    (Henley Business School, University of Reading)

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence suggests that co-location with an English Premier League (EPL) football team can boost university recruitment. But when a town or city loses its EPL team, it also loses some of the world’s attention. We test whether the EPL limelight does in fact affect university recruitment in England and Wales. We exploit the sharp annual cutoff between survival and relegation from the EPL, comparing the admissions outcomes of universities that have clear name association either side of that discontinuity. On average, losing association with an EPL team, for just one year after its relegation, significantly reduces a university’s undergraduate year-to-year admissions growth by 4-7 percent. These findings suggest not only that the EPL generates local externalities but also that university executives should support their local teams.

Suggested Citation

  • Carl Singleton & Adrian r. Bell & Andy Chung & J. James Reade & Andrew Urquhart, 2024. "Scoring goals: The impact of English Premier League football teams on local university admissions," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2024-02, Department of Economics, University of Reading.
    • Handle: RePEc:rdg:emxxdp:em-dp2024-02
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    File URL: https://research.reading.ac.uk/economics/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2024/03/emdp202402.pdf
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    professional football; relegation; local economy; regression-discontinuity design; higher education demand;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • R19 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Other
    • Z20 - Other Special Topics - - Sports Economics - - - General

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