| Away Disadvantage |
Five Tips for Coping
By Richard Pollard
The inaugural season of the Football League, the first such league in the world, was in 1888-89. A little more than 67 percent of points won were gained by the teams playing at home, 33 percent by the away teams. Thus the phenomenon of home field advantage was born, something that remains deeply ingrained in the culture of soccer throughout the world. Although home field advantage currently is lower in English league soccer (around 60 percent) than it has ever been, it remains a factor that coaches must consider when preparing a team.
The location of the game can influence the behavior of both teams, giving an advantage to the home team and disadvantaging the visitors. The combination of these effects is what we call “home field advantage.” It is my view that there is relatively little that the home team can do to increase their advantage (although Barcelona probably will disagree after the recent alleged doctoring of the field at Stamford Bridge). In contrast, the visiting team can minimize its disadvantage in a number of ways. This will be the focus of this article.
First, we should look at a few more facts about home field advantage and its possible causes. Crowd support is what first comes to mind when home field advantage is considered. It undoubtedly is a factor, although the way in which it operates is not as obvious as it might seem. Why, for example, has it always been slightly lower in the Premier League (and formerly the First Division) than in the other divisions of the Football League where crowds are smaller? Why does it exist at all in non-league soccer, even in leagues with attendance averaging fewer than 100 spectators? Why is it non-existent in the quarterfinal round of the FA Cup when crowd support is especially great? Internationally, why is it highest in Albania, Bosnia and Bolivia, countries not noted for the size of their crowds?
There is some evidence that it is the referees, more so than the players, who are influenced by the crowd to give an advantage to the home team. Because a single decision, such as awarding a penalty or issuing a red card, can have a decisive impact on the outcome of a game, referee bias, even though subconscious, remains an important and plausible factor to be taken into account.
The effects of travel, especially within a single country, have been difficult to establish as having an adverse effect on the away team. Home field advantage is certainly lower in local derbies, but beyond that it does not seem to depend on distance traveled, at least not within England. In contrast, familiarity with local conditions does seem to have an influence, but one that the away team can take steps to minimize. The visiting team will lack familiarity not only with the field of play itself, but also the facilities and conditions in and around the stadium. All these things have the potential to adversely affect performance.
Other possible causes, such as special playing tactics used by the away team, the concept of territoriality and other unidentified psychological effects still are being investigated.
Ultimately, what goes on in the minds of players, coaches and match officials will influence actions on the field and eventually determine the outcome of a game. Against this background, what steps can a team take in order to reduce the away field disadvantage?
Tip 1 - Do Your Homework on the Venue
Fields differ in size, texture, alignment in relation to the sun and prevailing wind and the physical relationship with the crowd. These factors should be researched in advance and communicated to the players. Video recordings of games at the away venue should be obtained, preferably ones with the home team losing. Information about the stadium, locker rooms and the surrounding areas will ensure a smooth pre-game build up. The aim should be to increase the confidence of the players and to avoid unforeseen surprises or problems with the away venue.
Tip 2 - Establish an Away Game Routine
Fifty percent of a team’s games are away from home, and a set routine should be put into place for them. Each away trip should start at the same meeting place, using the same method of transport, with the same driver and the same traveling team officials. Anything that can be done to standardize the immediate pre-match routine should be encouraged, including trying to make the atmosphere in the away locker room as much like home and as comparable to other away games as possible. The aim should be to make each away experience as similar to the last one as possible.
Tip 3 - Sharpen concentration to lessen the away crowd’s effect
There is no way to reduce the noise of the crowd at an away game, nor the abusive chants and personal comments that might accompany it. A poorly trained team will be distracted and their performance adversely affected. Therefore, the away team should be trained to intensify its discipline, concentration and self control and to ignore all provocation, especially during the early stages of an away game. The aim here should be for single-minded on-field discipline and focus.
Tip 4 - Don’t antagonize the referee
Even the best referee will find it difficult not to be swayed subconsciously by the noise of a home crowd, especially with a marginal decision that has to be made in a split second. Games are determined by goals and because goals are rare events in soccer, a single decision, such as the awarding of a penalty, can have an enormous influence on the result. Therefore it is important for away players to avoid any action that might lead to unnecessary confrontation with a referee and if possible to steer clear of risky challenges in dangerous places (although this is much easier said than done). The aim is to avoid being intimidated by the crowd into rash behavior, leading to excessive censure from the referee.
Tip 5 - Don’t adopt special away tactics
In 1981, the Football League started awarding three points for a win. One of the reasons was to encourage more open play because teams were thought to be adopting more cautious and defensive tactics when playing away from home. The overall effect of this change is unclear, but it is likely that changing tactics specifically for away matches always has been counterproductive. A more defensive approach immediately hands the territorial and psychological initiative to the home team, magnifying rather than lessening the perceived disadvantage of playing away. The aim should be to discourage tactics (or any other action, for that matter) that appear to reinforce belief in the existence of home advantage.
Conclusion
Home field advantage is a real and quantifiable factor that influences results. In order to minimize its effect, there are actions that the away team can take. These can be incorporated into the buildup to a game, as well as during the game itself. Players are aware of the existence of home field advantage, a fact that probably contributes to its continued existence. Home field advantage has become a self-perpetuating phenomenon. However, if players can be convinced that their preparation has helped neutralize the perceived disadvantages of playing away from home, their team will have gone a long way towards breaking the vicious cycle.
Editor’s note: Richard Pollard is a professor in the Department of Statistics at California Polytechnic State University. He is a leading authority in the area of home field advantage in soccer.
Further Reading
Pollard. R (1986) Home advantage in soccer A retrospective analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences. 4. 237-248.
Pollard. R. (2006) Worldwide regional variations in home advantage in association football. Journal of Sports Sciences, 24, 231-240.
Pollard, R. (in press) Home advantage in soccer: Variations in its magnitude and a literature review of the inter-related factors associated with its existence. Journal of Sport Behavior.
Pollard R. and Pollard, G. (2005) Home advantage in soccer A review of its existence and causes, International Journal of Soccer and Science. 3, 25-33.
Wolfson. S. and Neave. N. (2004) Preparing for home and away matches. Insight. 8, 43-46.
This article was extracted from Insight Live, the online coaching resource providing discussion forums, voting, plus access to valuable coaching content including, audio interviews, coaching vacancies, industry updates, sports science articles and of course Insight Journal and its archive stretching back some 30 years. Visit http://insightlive.thefa.com.
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