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Rivalry Effects and Unbalanced Schedule Optimisation in the Australian Football League

Author

Listed:
  • Stephan Lenor

    (Heidelberg University)

  • Liam J. A. Lenten

    (La Trobe University)

  • Jordi McKenzie

    (Macquarie University)

Abstract

Like many professional sports leagues, the Australian Football League (AFL) operates an unbalanced schedule in which each team plays other teams an unequal number of times (once or twice) each season. This has led the AFL purposefully to schedule certain matches to be repeated each season with the remaining fixtures mostly randomly allocated. We explore the efficacy of this policy by estimating a fixed (rivalry) effects hedonic demand model for within-season AFL matches. Estimated rivalry effects are imputed into a binary integer program minimisation that provides an optimal profile of rematches against which we consider recent historic scheduling behaviour. As expected, rivalry effects are greatest for the large-market Melbourne ‘troika’ teams, which provides partial support for the AFL’s maintained policy. However, there exists scope for increasing aggregate attendance in the unbalanced part of the season by further attention to selection of rematches. We also observe some decline in interest of the second within-season meetings of popular troika teams and a rise in popularity of the intrastate derbies. Finally, we compare our results to alternative scheduling arrangements for the unbalanced part of the season.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephan Lenor & Liam J. A. Lenten & Jordi McKenzie, 2016. "Rivalry Effects and Unbalanced Schedule Optimisation in the Australian Football League," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 49(1), pages 43-69, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:revind:v:49:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s11151-015-9495-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s11151-015-9495-7
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    Cited by:

    1. Lenten, Liam J.A. & Smith, Aaron C.T. & Boys, Noel, 2018. "Evaluating an alternative draft pick allocation policy to reduce ‘tanking’ in the Australian Football League," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 267(1), pages 315-320.
    2. Fatih Karanfil, 2017. "An empirical analysis of European football rivalries based on on-field performances," Sport Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(5), pages 468-482, December.
    3. Patrick J. Ferguson & Karim R. Lakhani, 2023. "Consuming Contests: The Effect of Outcome Uncertainty on Spectator Attendance in the Australian Football League," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 99(326), pages 410-435, September.
    4. Ramón Chacón-Cuberos & Félix Zurita-Ortega & José Luis Ubago-Jiménez & Gabriel González-Valero & Manuel Castro-Sánchez, 2019. "Association of Motivational Climate With Addictive Behaviors Depending on Type of Sport in University Students: Structural Equation Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(3), pages 21582440198, July.
    5. Craig A. Depken & Adam J. Hoffer & Abdul H. Kidwai, 2022. "An artefactual field experiment of group discrimination between sports fans," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 411-432, December.
    6. Manuel Castro-Sánchez & Félix Zurita-Ortega & Ramón Chacón-Cuberos & Carlos Javier López-Gutiérrez & Edson Zafra-Santos, 2018. "Emotional Intelligence, Motivational Climate and Levels of Anxiety in Athletes from Different Categories of Sports: Analysis through Structural Equations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-14, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Demand for sport; Scheduling optimisation; Rivalry effects;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • L83 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism
    • Z28 - Other Special Topics - - Sports Economics - - - Policy

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