ABSTRACT

Research question

This study looks at stadium attendances in elite-level European football, to suggest how people responded to the initial COVID-19 outbreak. This offers insight into how professional sports will emerge from social lockdowns and competition taking place behind closed doors.

Research methods

The analysis focuses on the top leagues of England, Italy, France, Spain and Germany. Using panel data methods and exploiting the variation in day-to-day attendances in these leagues, the impacts on implied spectator demand from the news of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths can be quantified.

Results and Findings

In Italy, England and Germany, stadium attendances were negatively affected by the previous day's newly confirmed domestic cases or deaths. In Spain and France, there was no attendance response to the early stages of the domestic outbreaks.

Implications

COVID-19 was affecting football match spectator demand before European countries enforced lockdowns and other restrictions to suppress the spread of the disease. This suggests that fans significantly responded to the risk of catching the virus. If this risk remains when stadiums reopen, then sports organisations should expect reduced ticket demand. This suggests that managers should adopt more dynamic and creative pricing strategies, and use their stadiums in more innovative ways, if they are to survive financially in a world where COVID-19 remains a threat to public health.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行中对公共活动的需求：欧洲足球的案例研究

摘要

研究问题

这项研究着眼于欧洲精英足球的体育场上座率，以表明人们如何应对最初的 COVID-19 爆发。这让我们深入了解职业体育将如何从社会封锁和闭门比赛中脱颖而出。

研究方法

分析的重点是英格兰、意大利、法国、西班牙和德国的顶级联赛。使用面板数据方法并利用这些联赛中日常上座率的变化，可以量化 COVID-19 确诊病例和死亡消息对隐含观众需求的影响。

结果和发现

在意大利、英格兰和德国，体育场上座率受到前一天新确诊的国内病例或死亡的负面影响。在西班牙和法国，国内疫情爆发的早期阶段没有出勤响应。

影响

在欧洲国家实施封锁和其他限制措施以抑制疾病传播之前，COVID-19 正在影响足球比赛观众的需求。这表明球迷对感染病毒的风险做出了显着的反应。如果体育场重新开放时这种风险仍然存在，那么体育组织应该预计门票需求会减少。这表明管理人员应该采用更具活力和创造性的定价策略，并以更具创新性的方式使用他们的体育场，如果他们要在 COVID-19 仍然对公共健康构成威胁的世界中生存下去的话。