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The Determinants of Soccer Player Substitutions

Author

Listed:
  • Julio Del Corral

    (University of Oviedo)

  • Carlos Pestana Barros

    (Technical University of Lisbon)

  • Juan Prieto-Rodríguez

    (University of Oviedo)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the pattern of player substitutions during a soccer match using data from the Spanish First Division in the 2004—2005 season. We use an inverse Gaussian hazard model to analyze the first substitutions on each team taking place either at halftime or in the second half of the game. The results show that the most important factor explaining the timing of the first player substitutions on a team is the score as it stands prior to the substitution. Furthermore, defensive substitutions are made later in the match than offensive substitutions. We also found some evidence that home teams make more substitutions than visiting teams in the halftime interval.

Suggested Citation

  • Julio Del Corral & Carlos Pestana Barros & Juan Prieto-Rodríguez, 2008. "The Determinants of Soccer Player Substitutions," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 9(2), pages 160-172, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:9:y:2008:i:2:p:160-172
    DOI: 10.1177/1527002507308309
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

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    2. Andrés Picazo-Tadeo & Francisco Gónzalez-Gómez & Jorge Guardiola Wanden-Berghe, 2011. "Referee home bias due to social pressure. Evidence from Spanish football," Working Papers 1119, Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia.
    3. Silva Rajitha M. & Swartz Tim B., 2016. "Analysis of substitution times in soccer," Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, De Gruyter, vol. 12(3), pages 113-122, September.
    4. Christopher Magee, 2025. "Crowds and Managerial Decisions in European Football Leagues," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 26(6), pages 744-765, August.
    5. Harald Oberhofer & Tassilo Philippovich & Hannes Winner, 2015. "Firm Survival in Professional Sports," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 16(1), pages 59-85, January.
    6. Bar, H & Lillard, D, 2010. "A Heap of Trouble? Accounting for Mismatch Bias in Retrospectively Collected Data on Smoking," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 10/20, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    7. repec:plo:pone00:0228790 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Ambra Macis, 2025. "The role of the frailty in the evaluation of injury risk factors for National Basketball Association players," Computational Statistics, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 1985-2003, April.
    9. Barros, Carlos Pestana & Butler, Richard & Correia, Antónia, 2010. "The length of stay of golf tourism: A survival analysis," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 13-21.
    10. Myers Bret R., 2012. "A Proposed Decision Rule for the Timing of Soccer Substitutions," Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 1-24, March.
    11. Gong, Bingnan & Zhou, Changjing & Gómez, Miguel-Ángel & Buldú, J.M., 2023. "Identifiability of Chinese football teams: A complex networks approach," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    12. Carlos Pestana Barros & Bernd Frick & Jose Passos, 2009. "Coaching for survival: the hazards of head coach careers in the German 'Bundesliga'," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(25), pages 3303-3311.

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