Description

This economic analysis of the professional football industry presents original research and existing literature. An economic analysis of professional football. Uses theoretical and empirical methods to consider role of owners, managers, players and spectators. Concludes with an extended discussion of key policy issues, including European super league proposals, contractual arrangements in the players' labour market, and football's evolving relationship with the broadcasting media. An economic analysis of professional football. Uses theoretical and empirical methods to consider role of owners, managers, players and spectators. Concludes with an extended discussion of key policy issues, including European super league proposals, contractual arrangements in the players' labour market, and football's evolving relationship with the broadcasting media. This book presents a detailed economic analysis of professional football at club level, using a combination of economic reasoning and statistical and econometric analysis. Most of the original empirical research reported in the book is based on English club football. A wide range of international comparisons help emphasize both the broader relevance as well as the unique characteristics of the English experience. Specific topics include: the links between football clubs' financial strength and competitive balance and uncertainty of outcome; the determinants of professional footballers' compensation; measuring the football manager's contribution to team performance, the determinants of managerial change, and its effects on team performance; patterns of spectator demand for attendance; predicting match results, betting on football, and the market in football clubs' company shares. The book concludes with an extended discussion of the major economic policy issues currently facing football's legislators and administrators worldwide. List of figures; List of tables; Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Professional football: historical development and economic structure; 3. Competitive balance and uncertainty of outcome; 4. The labour and transfer markets; 5. The contribution of the football manager; 6. Managerial change and team performance; 7. The demand for football attendance; 8. Information transmission and efficiency: share prices and fixed-odds betting; 9. Professional football: current issues and future prospects; List of references; Index. 'This book is the first major European research monograph to analyse professional football from an explicitly economic perspective. Dobson and Goddard build upon and extend their prior research into professional football drawing upon rigorous economic theory and econometric analysis. I strongly recommend this book.' Paul Downward, Reader in Economics, Staffordshire University 'Dobson and Goddard present a fascinating and wide-ranging insight into this aspect of the economics of team sports.' Managerial and Decision Economics '… two of the leading authors in the European sports economics literature, use a combination of economic reasoning and econometric analysis to enlighten us about European football … solid scholarship, providing extensive documentation, a wonderful reference list … profusely illustrated with graphs and charts … I highly recommend it to those sports economists studying the European scene, or for those looking for a technically proficient jump-off for their own analysis of NA or European team sports data.' Review of Industrial