League Clubs Research Articles

Measuring the SROI of Community Contribution Activities: Focusing on Social Collaboration Activities “SHAREN” Conducted by J. League Clubs

Measuring the SROI of Community Contribution Activities: Focusing on Social Collaboration Activities “SHAREN” Conducted by J. League Clubs

The Effect of the Using of Soccer-type eSports on Attitudes toward J. LEAGUE Clubs

The Effect of the Using of Soccer-type eSports on Attitudes toward J. LEAGUE Clubs

Football Belongs to the People: A Social Identity Perspective on Attitudes Toward the European Super League in the English Premier League

The announcement of the European Super League (ESL) led to massive protests in England. While the ESL is officially being reshaped and may resurface, there is a dearth of empirical studies on the motives associated with attitudes toward the ESL. In this research, we explored attitudes toward the ESL among Premier League fans by conducting an online survey 36 hours after the ESL announcement (N = 1,346 fans of Premier League clubs, among which 832 fans of the Big Six clubs involved in the ESL). Fans of the Big Six held more positive attitudes toward the ESL compared to fans of the Other 14 Premier League clubs. However, fans of the Big Six also perceived the ESL as more threatening to their relationship with their team and reported less consumption intentions toward their clubs. From a social identity perspective, team narcissism among fans was positively linked to support for the ESL, primarily through glory hunting—a form of fair-weather fandom. In contrast, secure team identification was negatively related to ESL support. We discuss attractiveness of the ESL for team narcissists and the threat it represents for long-standing fans.

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.

Assessing the influence of financial fair play on sporting performance: A study of the Spanish league using a data envelopment analysis model

AbstractThe football industry stands as an important economic sector in numerous countries, sparking scholarly discussions on the multifaceted nature of interconnected objectives and the influence of financial, accounting, and management elements on athletic performance. This discussion has gained prominence following the implementation of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, which have substantially reshaped industry management practices. This study introduces two innovative models—financial and sporting—that employ data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the performance of Spanish league football clubs within the context of FFP regulations. These models illuminate a crucial aspect of sports economic theory: the balancing act between financial and sporting objectives. Moreover, our analysis explores the influence of FFP on the efficiency of the Spanish league by comparing club proximity to the best practice frontier before and after FFP implementation. Our findings uncover intriguing differentiations within the proposed models and across various club clusters, providing valuable insights into the nuanced interplay among finance, accounting, and sports management.

Football club ownership and sporting ambition

ABSTRACT Purpose/Rationale This article identifies whether domestic and foreign owners of professional football clubs in England have a different propensity to gamble on sporting success by spending excessively on wages. Design/Methodology/Approach Data on wages, revenue and profit was extracted from the financial accounts of the football clubs in the Premier League and Football League from 2009–2010 to 2018–2019 to identify seasons in which the clubs gambled. In each case the ownership of the club was classified as either domestic or foreign. T-tests were performed to identify any statistically significant differences in incidents of gambling related to ownership type. Findings Foreign owners have provided more financial stability to football clubs in the Premier League, with less propensity to gamble for success, than domestic owners. Practical Implications The research shows the importance of understanding differences in ownership and the objectives of club owners at a league level for professional football clubs in England. Research Contribution The paper uses gambling as an indication of sporting ambition and provides evidence on the relative priorities of owner types to prioritise profits or sporting success. Originality/Value Neither the relationship between ownership and sporting ambition, nor between the ownership of clubs in different leagues, has previously been addressed.

Non-Big five football clubs’ strategies for generating transfer revenues: the case of Switzerland’s Super League

ABSTRACT Before the COVID-19 pandemic, clubs in Big Five leagues enjoyed unstoppable growth in their revenues, largely due to increases in media rights. In contrast, clubs outside the Big Five have much weaker financial capabilities and cannot rely solely on income from media rights, so they use the transfer market to increase their revenues and develop a competitive advantage. In the present study, we examined five Swiss Super League clubs’ transfer market strategies from a resource-based perspective to determine the competitive advantages they gain and the importance of transfers to their economic models. Combining data between 2015 and 2020, with semi-structured interviews, we analysed the competitive advantages these clubs developed thanks to the interaction between resources, capability, luck, and market asymmetries. Our results revealed three types of clubs and help fill a research gap, as this issue has barely been addressed in studies on the research-based view or on sports teams.

Time to level the playing field between men and women — Given similar injury incidence: A two-season analysis of match injuries in elite men and women's (Super League) rugby league

ObjectivesTo compare match injury incidence, severity and burden in men's and women's elite rugby league. DesignA prospective cohort epidemiological study. MethodsTime loss match injury data were collected from all men's (11,301 exposure hours) and women's (5,244 exposure hours) Super League clubs. ResultsInjury incidence and burden were not different between men and women (mean [95 % CI]; 54 [45 to 65] vs. 60 [49 to 74] per 1000 match-hours; p = 0.39, and 2332 [1844 to 2951] vs. 1951 [1560 to 2440] days lost per 1000 match-hours; p = 0.26). However, injury severity was greater for men than women (42 [35–50] vs. 35 [29 to 42]; p = 0.01). Lower limbs accounted for 54 % and 52 % of injuries for men and women, with the head/face the most frequently injured location due to concussion (12 [10 to 15] and 10 [8 to 14] per 1000 match-hours for men and women). Injuries to the knee had the greatest burden for men and women (708 [268–1868] and 863 [320–2328] days lost per 1000 match-hours). Being tackled was the most common injury mechanism for men and women (28 % and 38 %) with greater burden (p < 0.01) than other injury mechanisms. ConclusionsMale and female rugby league players have similar injury incidence and burden; however, injury severity was higher in men. Head/face injuries have the highest injury incidence and knee injuries have the highest burden. These injuries should be the focus for prevention initiatives at a league (via laws), player, and coach level, with equal and specific focus for both men's and women's rugby league players.

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.

Engagement and social networks of the Asobal league clubs in 2023

Engagement and social networks of the Asobal league clubs in 2023

Comprehensive Quality Principles as A Contribution to The Development of Premier League Club Management in Libya

Comprehensive Quality Principles as A Contribution to The Development of Premier League Club Management in Libya

Nutrition knowledge, body image and food security risk amongst development rugby league players.

This study aimed to describe the nutrition knowledge, food security risk and eating disorder risk of development male rugby league players. Sixty athletes from one Australian professional rugby league club volunteered. A cross sectional online survey questionnaire consisted of three sections (Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI-3), Nutrition Knowledge and Food Security). All athletes completed the online survey without assistance using a personal electronic device. The mean total knowledge score was 65.7±13.1%. There was a positive relationship between age and knowledge score, P=0.050, r2=0.06. The majority of players had breakfast everyday (N.=45, 73.8%), took pack lunches (N.=33, 55.0%), and had homemade evening meals (N.=55, 91.7%). The majority of players ate more than 1 hour before training (N.=45, 75%) and all players (n=60, 100%) ate within half an hour of training finishing. The majority of participants agreed that nutrition could influence physical and cognitive aspects of nutrition however, skill-based activities were perceived by fewer participants to be influenced by nutrition. The majority (N.=38, 63.3%) had high food security, six (10.0%) had marginal food security, whereas 10 (16.7%) and six (10.0%) had low and very low security respectively. These results show a concerning levels of eating disorder risk, food insecurity and poor nutrition knowledge amongst male development rugby league players. However, it does show that they believe nutrition can impact their health and performance, and they do mostly appear to adhere to the nutrition principals for optimising health and performance.

Developing a Conceptual Model of Corporate Social Responsibility of the Chinese Super League Clubs

ABSTRACT Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is seen as one of the key areas of sustainability for sport organizations. Although the rapid development of professional sport is evidenced, the evaluation and classification of CSR is still an under-researched area, especially in the eastern context. This study proposes a conceptual CSR model of the Chinese Super League (CSL) clubs, including five dimensions: economic, youth, community, environmental, and cultural responsibility. The establishment of the conceptual model is based on sound theoretical foundations, such as sustainable development, positive youth development, a sense of community, and globalization theories. Each dimension’s validity is assessed while considering the uniqueness of Chinese Super League. This study provides theoretical evidence to support the multidimensional nature of CSR, which adds value to CSR research in the Chinese professional sport context. At a strategic level, it enlightens club managers and the Chinese Football Association to develop better CSR strategies.

Self-regulation training improves stress resilience in elite pre-pubescent female gymnasts.

In the context of young female athletes, namely elite gymnasts, effective stress management strategies not only enhance performance, but also reduce the risk of injuries and promote overall well-being. This study aims to investigate the effects of biofeedback-based training on stress management in prepubescent elite female gymnasts, recognizing its pivotal role in promoting healthy growth and proper training load management. Eight elite young female athletes from a top flight French national league club participated in an experimental condition involving four-week biofeedback training program to improve self-regulation skills, during both rest and stress phases. Additionally, each subject experienced a control condition, with entailed exposure to domain-specific motivational videos. Comprehensive evaluations of physiological parameters were conducted to assess the impact of biofeedback training, both before and after the training, as well as during the stress and recovery phases. Furthermore, an interoceptive body awareness test, using the MAIA questionnaire, was performed. The results highlight a significant enhancement of the self-regulatory skills of the gymnasts in managing the selected physiological parameters-peripheral temperature (p < 0.05) and blood volume pressure (p < 0.05)-after the biofeedback treatment. Moreover, psychological data from the MAIA questionnaire revealed a noteworthy increase in interoceptive awareness (p < 0.001), particularly in the subscales of Not Distracting (p < 0.001), Attention regulation (p < 0.05), Emotional awareness (p < 0.05), and Self-regulation (p < 0.05). Thus, we conclude that biofeedback training improves self-regulatory and psychological resilience under stressful conditions, while reducing sensitivity to gymnastics-specific stress.

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.

Does anyone care where they are from? The importance of locally trained players in English football

ABSTRACT English football originated from organizations rooted in the communities of towns and cities. Social identity theory explains how supporters feel a strong connection with their local community club. In English football, clubs and the media often reference ‘local lads’, referring to locally born players as on-field representations of the community which is considered to reinforce supporters’ connection to the club. However, whether supporters care where players come from remains under-researched. This research surveyed 661 supporters with headline findings outlining financial sustainability and winning trophies as main priorities with local player representation a minor priority. Supporters of Premier League clubs were significantly more likely to prioritize winning trophies, and significantly less likely to prioritize their clubs’ financial position compared to the lower leagues, where financial stability was a priority. Further research would develop our understanding of the perceived importance of local players in the complex global landscape of modern football support.

The Development of Market Values for First Saudi Football League Clubs

The market value of the Saudi Football First Division League experienced a significant surge in the 2023-2024 sports season. This study seeks to analyze and compare this increase with major international leagues while exploring the underlying reasons. In addition, the market value growth of the Saudi League is analyzed, particularly focusing on its major clubs, during the period between July 2023 and October 2023. The analysis will involve a comparison with prominent international football leagues, taking into consideration the spending volume during the last summer transfer window. It is concluded that the surge in the financial value of the Saudi League is primarily attributed to the implementation of a new sports policy involving the privatization of sports clubs acquired by the Saudi Investment Fund. Additionally, the increase in the market value is influenced by the notable players contracted by the four privatized clubs.

Risk of low energy availability, eating disorders and food insecurity amongst development female rugby league players.

There have been several published studies on the prevalence of low energy availability (LEA) risk amongst North American and European endurance athletes. Yet the prevalence and risk factors amongst rugby league players are less well understood. This study assessed the prevalence of low energy availability risk, eating disorder risk, and food security amongst players from a female National Rugby League squad in Australia. Players from one Australian professional rugby league club volunteered to participate in the study. An online questionnaire was conducted to determine the prevalence of low energy availability (Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire [LEAF-Q]), eating disorder risk (Eating Disorders Inventory [EDI-3]), and food security. Differences between those "at risk" and "not at risk" based on their total LEAF-Q score were determined. Of the 28 players, 64% (N.=18) were at risk of LEA. Raw scores for the EDI-3 subscales, body dissatisfaction (P=0.043), bulimia (P=0.002), composite score (P=0.038), were significantly higher for those at risk and not at risk of LEA. Forty percent of players had some level of food insecurity. The results suggest LEA risk is similar to other populations and those at risk of LEA are more likely to have an elevated clinical risk of eating disorders. Food security is also an issue in this population and could contribute to LEA risk for some. Future research is needed amongst team sports athletes to understand interplay between eating disorder risk and food insecurity with LEA risk.

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.