How best to quantify home advantage in team sports: an investigation involving male senior handball leagues in Portugal and Spain. [La mejor manera de cuantificar la ventaja de jugar en casa en deportes de equipo: una investigación con ligas de Balonmano senior masculino en Portugal y España].

Resumen

Abstract

Home advantage (HA), or the effect of match location, has been shown to play an important role in determining the result of a game. A method introduced over 30 years ago has enjoyed wide use. However, there is a possible problem with its interpretation. Although this can be overcome by rescaling the original value for HA, this paper introduces a somewhat different approach to quantifying HA, one that is derived by expressing home performance specifically as a function of away performance. The various methods are illustrated by analyzing HA for teams in the men’s professional handball leagues in Portugal and Spain for the 2016-17 season. Results show that the traditional and rescaled methods both ensure a maximum value of 100% for HA, while the new method can produce values well above 100%. Also, when HA is small, as in the case of goals scored and conceded, then values from the new method are about twice those from the rescaled method. However, when HA is larger, as in the case of most of the teams in the lower half of the Spanish league table, when based on points, the new method produces HA values which are much higher that the rescaled. This method provides a new dimension to considerwhen trying to quantify HA. It has the advantage of also being appropriate for the difference between goals scored and goals conceded. Choice of methodology will depend on the specific objective being sought when studying the effect of HA on performance.

Resumen

Se ha demostrado que la ventaja en jugar en casa (HA), o el efecto de la ubicación del partido, juega un papel importante en la determinación del resultado de un juego. Un método introducido hace más de 30 años ha gozado de amplio uso. Sin embargo, hay un posible problema con su interpretación. Aunque esto se puede solucionar por reescalar el valor original para HA, este trabajo presenta un enfoque algo diferente a la cuantificación de HA, uno que es derivado de la expresión del rendimiento en casa específicamente como una función del rendimiento fuera de casa. Los distintos métodos se ilustran mediante el análisis de HA de los equipos de las principales ligas de balonmano profesional masculino en Portugal y España para la temporada 2016-17. Los resultados muestran que tanto los métodos tradicionales como los reescalados aseguran un valor máximo de 100% de HA, mientras que el nuevo método puede producir valores muy por encima de 100%. También, cuando HA es pequeño, como en el caso de los goles marcados y concedidos, entonces los valores de este nuevo método son sobre dos veces los del método reescalado. Sin embargo cuando HA es más grande, como en el caso de la mayoría de los equipos en la mitad inferior dela tabla de la Liga española, cuando se basa en puntos, el nuevo método produce HA valores mucho más altos que lo reescalado. Este método proporciona una nueva dimensión a tener en cuenta cuando se intenta cuantificar HA. Tiene la ventaja de también ser apropiado para la diferencia entre goles marcados y goles concedidos. La elección de la metodología dependerá del objetivo específico que se busque al estudiar el efecto de la ventaja de jugar en casa en el rendimiento deportivo.

https://doi.org/10.5232/ricyde2020.05902

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