The future of women's football in Asia: a look at competitive balance in top 5 domestic football leagues from 2010 to 2019

Abstract

PurposeThis paper analyses competitive balance in the “big five” women's football leagues in Asia longitudinally between 2010 and 2019.Design/methodology/approachCompetitive balance has been measured using recognised measures of concentration, HICB and NHICB, alongside recognised measures of dominance, i.e., identification of top teams. A time-trend analysis has been employed to identify trends of CB in the respective leagues followed by ANOVA and relevant post-hoc tests to identify difference in concentration measures. A multiple linear regression analysis has been conducted to identify the impact of external economic factors on CB.FindingsSome significant differences were detected in the levels of concentration between leagues. There was also some variation in terms of some leagues being dominated by a fewer number of teams. However, these two measures of competitive balance (concentration and dominance) were not necessarily correlated with each other. The paper also tries to find the optimum number of teams to maintain CB in the women's football leagues in Asia, but an exact figure could not be found.Research limitations/implicationsSome significant differences were detected in the levels of concentration between leagues. There was also some variation in terms of some leagues being dominated by a fewer number of teams. However, these two measures of competitive balance (concentration and dominance) were not necessarily correlated with each other. External economic factors were found to have negative impact on CB.Originality/valueThe paper is an original research and aims to add to the growing body of CB research in world through analysis of competitive balance (ACB).

Financial fair play and competitive balance in European football: a long term perspective

“…In relation to the concept of competitive balance, which is a fundamental part of sport economics research (Dutta et al. , 2022), it is necessary to indicate that the behavior of football leagues differs from that of other industries.…”

“…In relation to the concept of competitive balance, which is a fundamental part of sport economics research (Dutta et al, 2022), it is necessary to indicate that the behavior of football leagues differs from that of other industries. As pointed out by Dobson and Goddard (2011) professional team sports are intrinsically different from other businesses, in which a firm is likely to prosper if it can eliminate competition and establish a position as a monopoly supplier.…”

“…V€ opel (2013 underlines this point by stating that purchasing power provides the real competitive advantage in football, which makes it "almost impossible to catch up with larger clubs without external funding". Moreover, as Dutta et al (2022) point out, European leagues are characterized by win-maximisation, where clubs prioritise winning the most number of games in a season.…”