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Home bias in different German football leagues

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  • Böttger, Tom
  • Vischer, Lars

Abstract

This study investigates the presence and variation of home bias across different hierarchical levels in German men's football. Based on an extensive dataset comprising 357,530 matches from the 2023/2024 season-collected via a Python script-the analysis includes match outcomes, attendance figures, club locations, and prior season standings across 165 divisions in 28 football associations. These leagues span 13 hierarchical levels, from professional to amateur football. The results show that home bias is significantly more pronounced in lower divisions. This effect manifests itself through a higher frequency of home wins, fewer draws, and greater sensitivity to travel distance in amateur divisions. In contrast, more professional leagues may benefit from standardised conditions, which mitigate home bias. Overall, the findings highlight the strong influence of professionalisation on competitive balance. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how contextual factors shape match outcomes and demonstrates the need for differentiated analysis across league levels when examining behavioural biases in sports.

Suggested Citation

  • Böttger, Tom & Vischer, Lars, 2025. "Home bias in different German football leagues," Discussion Papers of the Institute for Organisational Economics 5/2025, University of Münster, Institute for Organisational Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:umiodp:319069
    DOI: 10.17879/73948674436
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. 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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    7. Kai Fischer & Justus Haucap, 2021. "Does Crowd Support Drive the Home Advantage in Professional Football? Evidence from German Ghost Games during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 22(8), pages 982-1008, December.
    8. Scoppa, Vincenzo, 2021. "Social pressure in the stadiums: Do agents change behavior without crowd support?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Amateur Sports; Competitive Balance; Football; Home Bias; Travel Distance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • L83 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism
    • Z20 - Other Special Topics - - Sports Economics - - - General
    • Z21 - Other Special Topics - - Sports Economics - - - Industry Studies

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