English Premier League Clubs Research Articles

Nutritional habits of professional team sport athletes: An insight into the carbohydrate, fluid, and caffeine habits of English Premier League football players during match play

ABSTRACT To better understand the in-match fuelling practices of elite football players and compare against current guidelines, we quantified the carbohydrate, fluid, and caffeine intake of players from an English Premier League club (n = 22) during 90 min of competitive match-play. Mean carbohydrate intake across match-play was 17 ± 11 g.h−1 with players demonstrating a preference towards CHO-containing fluids (58%) when compared with semi-solids (38%) and solids (14%), respectively. CHO intake was significantly lower than reported by players (17 ± 11 vs 24.8 ± 11 g.h−1, p < 0.001) during initial consultation. Fluid was ingested at a rate of 0.45 ± 0.14 L.h−1, with 54, 40 and 6% of ingested fluid coming from water, carbohydrate, and electrolyte-only solutions, respectively. The majority of players (91%) met the UEFA guidelines for fluid consumption. Of the players who consumed caffeine across match-play (55%) the average dose was 233 ± 148 mg (2.8 ± 1.1 mg.kg−1 body mass [BM]), which meets the UEFA consensus guidelines for caffeine intake. Caffeine capsules (42%) and caffeine containing fluids (30%) were the preferred format prior to the warm-up whilst caffeine gum was exclusively used prior to kick-off and during the half-time period (100%). We conclude that 81% of the total playing squad failed to meet the current UEFA CHO intake recommendations of 30–60 g.h−1, which may be attributed to the preference towards fluid-based CHOs as the chosen format of delivery.

Contemporary educational and behavior change strategies improve dietary practices around a match in professional soccer players.

The importance of nutrition in optimizing the health and performance of professional soccer players has been well established. Despite published practical recommendations for the dietary requirements for professional soccer players, many players fail to meet these guidelines. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to assess the impact of targeted nutritional education and behavior change interventions on dietary intake in professional football players. Additionally, previous research within this population has reported elevations in resting metabolic rate (RMR) following match-play. Therefore, a further aim of this study was to examine whether any changes in dietary intake would influence RMR following match-play. Twenty players from the professional development phase in an English Premier League club (age: 18.4 ± 1.0 years; body mass: 76.1 ± 6.0 kg; stature: 1.80 ± 0.07 m) were randomly assigned to an "Intervention" (INT) group (n = 10), who received numerous nutritional education and behavior change interventions, or a "Control" (CON) group (n = 10), who received no nutrition support. Dietary intake was assessed daily throughout the match-week (Match Day (MD)-2, MD-1, MD, MD + 1, and MD + 2), whilst RMR was assessed on MD-1, MD + 1, and MD + 2. Statistical analyses on the intervention effects on dietary intake and RMR were carried out using a two factor (group and day) analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a subsequent Bonferroni post-hoc test. Mean energy (3393 ± 852 vs. 2572 ± 577 kcal · day-1) and CHO (5.36 ± 1.9 vs. 3.47 ± 1.1 g · kg-1 BW · day-1) intake was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the INT vs. CON group. Furthermore, the INT group implemented nutrition periodization practices as CHO intake was significantly increased on MD-1 (7.0 ± 1.7 g · kg-1 BM · day-1), MD (7.1 ± 1.4 g · kg-1 BM · day-1) and MD + 1 (5.1 ± 0.8 g · kg-1 BM · day-1). However, the CON group did not periodize their CHO intake and failed to meet the CHO recommendations on MD-1, MD, and MD + 1 (<4 g · kg-1 BM · day-1). Compared to MD-1, the RMR increased on MD + 1 and MD + 2 in both groups, although it was only statistically significant for the INT group (MD + 1 = +243 kcal · day-1; MD + 2 = +179 kcal · day-1). The implementation of targeted nutritional education and behavior change interventions resulted in improved dietary practices in professional football players and enabled better adherence to recommended guidelines. However, despite this, RMR was still elevated in the 24-48 h following match play. Thus, in order to optimize recovery, this finding further reinforces the need for professional football players to adopt strategies to meet energy, and particularly CHO, requirements in the acute period following a match in order to account for this increase in energy requirement.

Analyzing the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Economies of Major European Sports Clubs in 2020

We aim to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the economies of major European sports clubs, including those in England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France.This study identifies the repercussions of the suspension of numerous professional sports leagues worldwide, putting hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk and affecting the revenues of the sports industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic.This study utilized data obtained from European football leagues for the year 2020 to examine the impact of the COVID-19 situation on major European clubs. Through analysis, we described the effects of the pandemic on these clubs.Key findings include the suspension of numerous professional sports leagues worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, posing a risk to hundreds of thousands of jobs. Additionally, the pandemic had a significant impact on sports industry revenues globally in 2020. Specifically, it was observed that English Premier League clubs' sports companies were particularly affected, experiencing losses ranging between 1.15 and 1.25 billion euros.The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the economy of major world clubs' sports companies, leading to a decline exacerbated by increased indebtedness. With competitions suspended and revenue sources such as match tickets, advertising, and television rights diminished, clubs faced economic strain, lacking the subsidies necessary to cover their financial burdens.

A multi-season machine learning approach to examine the training load and injury relationship in professional soccer

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to use machine learning to examine the relationship between training load and soccer injury with a multi-season dataset from one English Premier League club. METHODS: Participants were 35 male professional soccer players (aged 25.79±3.75 years, range 18–37 years; height 1.80±0.07 m, range 1.63–1.95 m; weight 80.70±6.78 kg, range 66.03–93.70 kg), with data collected from the 2014–2015 season until the 2018–2019 season. A total of 106 training loads variables (40 GPS data, 6 personal information, 14 physical data, 4 psychological data and 14 ACWR, 14 MSWR and 14 EWMA data) were examined in relation to 133 non-contact injuries, with a high imbalance ratio of 0.013. RESULTS: XGBoost and Artificial Neural Network were implemented to train the machine learning models using four and a half seasons’ data, with the developed models subsequently tested on the following half season’s data. During the first four and a half seasons, there were 341 injuries; during the next half season there were 37 injuries. To interpret and visualize the output of each model and the contribution of each feature (i.e., training load) towards the model, we used the Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) approach. Of 37 injuries, XGBoost correctly predicted 26 injuries, with recall and precision of 73% and 10% respectively. Artificial Neural Network correctly predicted 28 injuries, with recall and precision of 77% and 13% respectively. In the model using Artificial Neural Network (the relatively more accurate model), last injury area and weight appeared to be the most important features contributing to the prediction of injury. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first study of its kind to use Artificial Neural Network and a multi-season dataset for injury prediction. Our results demonstrate the potential to predict injuries with high recall, thereby identifying most of the injury cases, albeit, due to high class imbalance, precision suffered. This approach to using machine learning provides potentially valuable insights for soccer organizations and practitioners when monitoring load injuries.

The Effects of Homegrown Rule on Efficiency of Sports Teams: Evidence from the English Premier League

In the sports industry, governing bodies often have regulations for political and societal purposes. Despite their well-meaning intentions, the regulations often tend to be detrimental to stakeholders, including players and sports clubs. This study investigates the impact of the Football Association’s homegrown regulation on the operational efficiency of football clubs in the English Premier League (EPL). Using data envelopment analysis, we calculate the efficiency scores of 10 EPL clubs and compare them before and after the implementation of the regulation. Our results show that the efficiency of EPL football clubs decreased after the regulation was implemented, supporting the adverse effects of the homegrown rule. Our results further reveal that clubs were affected by the regulation to varying degrees. The distinct patterns of efficiency score changes in some clubs are explained by their unique managerial circumstances, such as ownership changes. Compliance costs, which vary depending on the level of each club’s youth academy system, also moderate the impact of the regulation. The findings of this study imply that imposing homegrown regulation on clubs unanimously without considering clubs’ different conditions leads to operational inefficiencies, generating adverse effects. This study has rich implications with respect to the productivity management of team sports. It also provides deep insights for the governing bodies trying to develop better policies. Funding: This work was supported by an Incheon National University Research Grant in 2021.

The financial impact of financial fair play regulation: Evidence from the English premier league

In response to the ailing financial situation of European football clubs, UEFA introduced Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulation in 2011 to guide clubs towards profitability and sustainability. In this study, we empirically test whether the break-even requirement (BER) of FFP has improved the financial performance of English Premier League (EPL) clubs exposed to the regulation. We find strong evidence that FFP has positively impacted the profitability of clubs exposed to the regulation as they are less loss-making than those not exposed to FFP. The improvement is attributed to better management of the income and expenses ratio rather than a fall in expenses. However we do not find evidence of an improvement in the clubs' sustainability. The results suggest that FFP has so far improved the profitability of EPL clubs exposed to the regulation by encouraging better financial management and business model modification for clubs. Therefore, club owners should maintain a financially prudent wage-to-revenue ratio and look to be more efficient in player trading.

Football finance and Covid-19

This study looks at the financial performance of top English football clubs to understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our analysis focuses on English Premier League (EPL) and English Football League (EFL) clubs that have participated at least once in England’s highest league, the EPL. Using panel data methodology from 36 clubs between 2005 – 2021, we quantify the impact and severity of Covid-19 on top English football clubs’ financial performance. We find statistically significant evidence that profitability deteriorated during the pandemic with EPL clubs more reliant on matchday revenue the most impacted. Both financial stability and indebtedness deteriorated during the pandemic but the deterioration was not statistically significant. EFL clubs were the most impacted by reduced financial stability and increased indebtedness. These findings are vital for football’s regulators as it provides empirical evidence on the stability of the industry and also provides insights football club owners on strategies they can adopt to survive during external shocks to the industry

The effects of overseas exhibition games on consumer interest: the case of the English Premier League

ABSTRACT Research question This paper attempts to disentangle the impact of overseas exhibition games, a strategic marketing tool frequently implemented by professional sports clubs in their endeavors to expand into foreign markets, on demand. As such, it contributes to the recently growing literature examining the internationalization processes of leagues and clubs. Research methods We implement two different studies. Study 1 analyzes the effects of games played by English Premier League (EPL) clubs in the US in summer 2015 on US residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) for add-on football packages on television. In doing so, we exploit the panel structure of geocoded data collected in two representative surveys and use inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment estimators. Study 2 focuses on regional audience data on EPL games televised in the US. We account both for summer 2014 and 2015 exhibition games by implementing propensity score stratification. Results and findings Overall, we find that exhibition games played by EPL clubs have a positive effect on both the WTP for TV subscription packages as well as viewership. Further analysis reveals that these effects are primarily driven by top brands traveling abroad (though also some spillover benefits on EPL-wide demand emerge) and dissipate over time. Implications Facilitating the organization of overseas exhibition games seems reasonable from a commercial point of view for league management. For broadcasters, requiring certain top brands to participate in preseason tours in their national markets might be essential if they seek to improve their return on investment.

‘Bridging the gap’: Differences in training and match physical load in 1st team and U23 players from the English Premier League

Objectives To explore the differences in training and match load in English Premier League (EPL) 1st team and U23 players. Identifying differences in relative and absolute physical outputs in relation to Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS) and Maximal Sprint Speed (MSS) and how this informs monitoring and training prescription. Methods Two groups of full-time professional football players (1st team, n = 24 and U23 squad, n = 27) participated in this study. Training and match data were categorised into weekly blocks from Monday to Sunday. Each player's weekly total was then averaged to provide a squad average for each metric examined. Results Match analysis identified significantly higher distance covered above 120% MAS and distance between 120% MAS and 85% MSS ( p = .04, effect size [ES] = 0.64; p &lt; .01, ES = 1.13) for the 1st team. Distance above 85% MSS was significantly higher for the U23's ( p &lt; .01, ES = 2.92). Training and match data during one-match weeks displayed significantly higher differences in all high-speed variables for 1st team players compared to U23 players ( p ≤ .05, ES = 0.82–1.78). Analysis of training and match data during a two-match week displayed no significant differences for all physical variables ( p &gt; .05). Conclusions Practitioners should consider the utilisation of individual relative thresholds to identify differences between physical performance variables during training and matches for 1st team and U23 players. Utilising these comparisons to inform training design, could maximise players physical development and potential for successful transition. Importantly, these findings relate to only one EPL club and therefore practitioners should assess their own players’ relative training and game outputs.

Curcumin Attenuates Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Muscle Function Deficits Following a Soccer Match in Male Professional Soccer Players.

To examine the effects of acute curcumin (CURC) supplementation on recovery from a soccer match in male professional players. In a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design, 11 players from the under-23 team of an English Premier League club (age 19 [1]y, body mass 79.4 [7.9]kg, height 180.8 [5.7]cm) consumed 500mg of CURC or a control (medium-chain triglycerides) immediately and 12 and 36hours after a 90-minute match. Countermovement jump height (CMJ), reactive strength index (RSI), delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS, 0-200mm), and subjective well-being were measured before and 12, 36, and 60 hours postmatch. Global positioning systems measured external load during matches, and dietary intake was recorded across the testing period. External load and dietary intake did not differ between conditions (P ≥ .246). CURC attenuated deficits in CMJ (P ≤ .004) and RSI (P ≤ .001) and reduced DOMS (P ≤ .004) at all postmatch time points (except 60h post for RSI). The greatest difference between control and CURC was 12 hours post for CMJ (P < .001, 1.91 [4.40]cm, 95% CI, 1.25 to 2.57, g = 0.36) and RSI (P = .003, 0.40 [0.41]AU, 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.63, g = 0.90) and 36 hours post for DOMS (P < .001, 47 [23]mm, 95% CI, -67 to -27, g = 2.12). CURC intake <36hours after a soccer match attenuated DOMS and muscle function deficits, suggesting that CURC may aid recovery in professional male soccer players.

Are English football players overvalued?

ABSTRACT It is often suggested by fans, the media, and football commentators that English players are over-valued and receive higher salaries than those of comparable players from different countries. This study examines whether the suggestion can be empirically substantiated. Using a unique database covering all of the European elite leagues, we show that there is an English player value premium of around 40% and a wage premium of 25%. Exploring the reasons for this phenomenon in a regression setting, we find that the excess valuation and salary differential can be partly justified by several factors. First, and most importantly, there is a higher value attributed and wages paid to players in the English Premier League (EPL); second, that English players are more likely to play as strikers than in other positions in EPL clubs; third, that their performance in some positions is somewhat better than the average of players from other nations; fourth, that there are fewer of them in the top European leagues, leading to a shortage in supply. There is, however, evidence that the higher valuation of English attackers and the higher salaries of English attackers and of English midfielders evades explanation by any of these groups of variables.

Significant Changes in Resting Metabolic Rate Over a Competitive Match Week Are Accompanied by an Absence of Nutritional Periodization in Male Professional Soccer Players.

Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is an important component of total daily energy expenditure; however, it is currently not understood how it varies across a typical competitive match week in professional soccer players. For the first time, we aimed to assess RMR throughout an in-season competitive week in professional soccer players. Additionally, we aimed to assess energy and carbohydrate intake across the same week. Twenty-four professional soccer players from an English Premier League club (age: 18 ± 1.6years) completed the study. RMR was assessed each morning of a typical competitive match week (match day [MD] -3, -2, -1, +1, +2, and + 3), and dietary intake (including MD) was assessed daily via the remote food photography method and 24-hr recall. Daily training load was quantified using Global Positioning System, daily muscle soreness ratings were recorded, and body composition was assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. There was a significant (p = .0004) increase in mean RMR of ∼261kcal/day on MD + 1, compared with MD - 1. Additionally, volume of oxygen consumed significantly increased at MD + 1 (p = .0002) versus MD - 1. There were no significant differences in daily energy or carbohydrate intake across the competitive week (p > .05), with inadequate carbohydrate intakes on MD - 1 (∼3.9g/kg body mass), MD (∼4.2g/kg body mass), and MD + 1 (∼3.6g/kg body mass) in relation to current recommendations. We report, for the first time, that RMR is significantly increased following a competitive match in professional soccer players. In addition, we confirm previous findings to reinforce that players exhibit inadequate nutrition periodization practices, which may impair physical performance and recovery.

Contributed Factors in Predicting Market Values of Loaned Out Players of English Premier League Clubs

Contributed Factors in Predicting Market Values of Loaned Out Players of English Premier League Clubs

Career transitions from the English Premier League: Cooling out the mark with possible selves

Achieving and then maintaining a career as a professional athlete is hard. Saturated labour markets and the ever-present risk of deselection or injury means that career transitions are an inevitable feature of all athletes’ biographies. Like many other professional sports organisations, English Premier League (EPL) clubs have been called upon to provide adequate support to players upon their release from their club. This investigation will examine the experiences and attitudes of EPL players during their career transitions and contextualise the support that EPL club Education and Welfare Officers (EWOs) offer players during this process. Vignette interviewing was employed to engage a purposive sample, consisting of ten EPL players and five EWOs. A combination of Goffman's cooling-out metaphor and notions of Possible Selves is used to unpack the experiences of both players and EWOs. This study offers the proposition that players are Cooled Out as part of their career transitions by EWOs encouraging players to engage with Possible Selves both in and away from footballing environments. Such a process contributes to the empowerment of individuals to manage and successfully navigate their career transition from one club to another or away from the professional game entirely.

Internal promotion and the Bosman ruling: Evidence from the English Premier League

AbstractThe analysis of English Premier League clubs' reliance on internal versus external sources for competitive game‐time opportunities to unproven players is motivated by relevant labour economics literature. Two uniquely created data sets are utilized to establish robust results supporting the notion that certain clubs' youth programmes provide greater first‐team playing time opportunities through internal sources. This information is further used to create a unique index for youth development reputation of the clubs. In addition to this index and the original data set, this paper creates a link between existing internal versus external hiring labour literature and a club's decision to give game‐time opportunities to new players externally or resort to their internal hiring. Foreign sourced players become more prevalent in the league after the Bosman ruling, and their probability of game‐time selection is positively correlated with club stature. Survival analysis results also establishes a presence of heterogeneity at the youth club level that signals differences in player career prospects generated by their youth training, which is supplementary to the number of opportunities given to youth players by these clubs. This model also shows that the Bosman ruling positively impacts the career duration of youth players as opposed to its negative effect on game‐time selection, which signals that even though competitive game‐time opportunities are more limited, the quality of internally sourced players is higher as a result of increased competitive pressures brought upon by the Bosman ruling.

Fans not Customers! Kategoria in the Rise and Demise of the European Super League

In 2021, the twelve largest soccer clubs in the world created a new league that promised high-level competition between the sports’ elites. Three days later, the Euro Super League was no more. Much of the credit for its demise is attributable to the various groups who spoke out strongly against the organization. The collective rhetoric took on the qualities of kategoria, a speech of accusation that proceeds apologia. While there is a wealth of research on apologia, there is little on kategoria as a discrete rhetorical act. Kategoria sits at the intersection of community and morality. Rhetors position themselves above the accused and utilize the community’s collective identity to streamline the complexities of contemporary sports into simpler moral issues. In the case of the Super League, an analysis of the six English Premier League clubs and their supporters clubs shows this principle at work. The supporters secured a place of moral authority and charged the owners with ethical failure. They asserted that the owners were out of touch with the spirit of English soccer due to their single-minded greed.

Measuring the resilience of English Premier league clubs to economic recessions

ABSTARCT Since its inception in 1992, the Premier League has faced a number of economic shocks, including a global financial crisis. While there is ample literature on insolvency of football clubs, this does not necessarily help us gauge financial fragility to economic shocks. Clubs’ resilience to shocks is important to our understanding of the Premier League’s ability to grow and outperform other leagues in an increasingly global and competitive industry. Using Annual Reports from 1993 to 2018, this paper analyses the resilience of Premier League clubs to shocks in the wider economy. Results identify the clubs most and least financially resilient. Of the Big Six clubs, only Arsenal is considered as resilient, whilst others show weakness during economic downturns or periods of growth. Measuring economic resilience in this way has implications for our understanding of both the Premier League’s sustainability in its current form and its ability to withstand future shocks.

Consumer behaviour and the relational dynamics of English premier league supporters in Nigeria

ABSTRACT The English Premier League (EPL) has one of its largest national fanbases in Nigeria. The city of Yola in Nigeria’s North East State of Adamawa is home to numerous fans of EPL elite clubs. This study examines how supporters of different EPL clubs interact with one another, and their modes of consumption of EPL football in the city. Twenty-four fans were interviewed at purposively selected football viewing centres across the city. The research revealed that within international club competitions like the UEFA Champions League, some supporters demonstrate support for other EPL clubs, despite the traditional rivalries prevalent in domestic contexts. Moreover, some fans opt to support more than one EPL team due to family ties, emergence of African players and periods of success at other clubs. The analysis demonstrates that these two factors can help restrict animosity between supporters and promote peaceful relations among fans in the locality of this study.

Winning football’s war for talent: highly skilled migration and the making of the English Premier League

ABSTRACT The English Premier League (EPL) has undergone a significant commercial and economic transformation in the last 30 years. During this period, labour migration has emerged as a pre-eminent process in the development and competitiveness of the league. For the EPL’s 20 clubs, the desires to remain both commercially and performatively competitive on a global stage necessitates the requirement to identify, attract and retain as many highly skilled workers as possible. Therefore, like other talent intensive industries where success is predicated on the depth of the talent pool, a global ‘war for talent’ has emerged. Drawing on scholarship that has explored the recruitments of highly skilled migrants in other talent intensive economies, this paper shows how EPL clubs are consistently winning the global war for talent that has emerged in professional football. It also highlights the significant role that these workers play in the making and continued re-making of the EPL.

Strategies of German Bundesliga and English Premier League clubs for the COVID-19 crisis: the case of international broadcasting fans

During the COVID-19 pandemic that paused sports worldwide, the German Bundesliga League (GBL) and English Premier League (EPL) took two different strategic approaches to agree with their players on returning to play. To become better informed and prepared for future crisis management, this study examines consumer responses to these opposing strategies. We also identify how perceived organizational legitimacy, trustworthiness, reliance, and justifiability have an impact on consumer multimedia consumption of the games. A sample of 503 participants responded to an online questionnaire regarding the contrasting decisions taken by the GBL and the EPL during the global health crisis. SEM with multi-group analysis was conducted to test the research hypotheses. When comparing the two selected sport leagues, the league that reached an agreement with their players experienced higher levels of perceived legitimacy while needing fewer perceptions of trustworthiness, reliance, and justifiability to obtain higher multimedia consumption intention from consumers.