Topological network properties of the European football loan system



Bond, Alexander John, Widdop, Paul and Parnell, Daniel ORCID: 0000-0001-5593-0633
(2020) Topological network properties of the European football loan system. EUROPEAN SPORT MANAGEMENT QUARTERLY, 20 (5). pp. 655-678.

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Abstract

Research question: Following a network perspective, we present football's European loan system as an economic network and aim to answer the following questions; (i) what is the structure of the network? and, (ii) what are the topological properties of the network? Research methods: Using data on the top-5 European leagues in European football 8139 loan transactions between 31 December 2009 and 22 December 2017 were analysed using social network analysis. Results and findings: The results show that the loan system is embedded in ongoing structural relationships across Europe, more so in the Italian Serie A than other European leagues investigated. Additionally, our findings indicate that several elite clubs are extracting value from the loan system, while others are value creators. Implications: The implications of this research are fourfold: recommendations for executive-level professionals in the football industry and how to maximise the structure of the system; considerations for UEFA and FIFA policy around regulations applied to loan systems; application of economic network theory to the trading (loan) system in European football; and recommendations for future academic research.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Economic networks, football, trading systems, markets, social network analysis
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 10 Oct 2019 11:54
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 00:23
DOI: 10.1080/16184742.2019.1673460
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3057701