Consumer Perceptions Matter: A Case Study of an Anomaly in English Football

J Reade and Jan van Ours ()
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Jan van Ours: Erasmus School of Economics, Tinbergen Institute (Rotterdam) and ECASE (Erasmus Center for Applied Sports Economics), the Netherlands

No em-dp2024-03, Economics Discussion Papers from Department of Economics, University of Reading

Abstract: In 1983 England’s fifth-tier football competition introduced a two-points-for-a- home-win and three-points-for-an-away-win reward system. This system was abolished after three seasons. The anomalous point system may have been introduced to reduce home advantage but the reasons are not fully clear and neither are the reasons for abolishing the system shortly after its introduction. We find that the new point system did not affect match outcomes but it did influence match attendance negatively. We speculate that the alternative point system was perceived as unfair to potential buyers of seasonal tickets or individual match tickets some of whom as a response decided to avoid watching the game in person. Consumer perceptions seem to matter.

Keywords: consumer behaviour; sports; football; performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D12 L83 Z21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 27 pages
Date: 2024-04-16
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cul and nep-spo
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Working Paper: Consumer perceptions matter: A case study of an anomaly in English football (2024)
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