Dr. Sarthak Mondal

This paper analyses J1 League and J2 League clubs during the period 2011–2020 to anticipate financial distress. Data were collected for 29 professional football clubs competing in the J1 and J2 League for the financial years ending 2011–2020. Analysis was conducted using Altman’s Z-score methodology and additional statistical tests were conducted to measure differences between groups. The results show significant cases of financial distress amongst clubs in both divisions and that clubs that… Show more

This paper analyses J1 League and J2 League clubs during the period 2011–2020 to anticipate financial distress. Data were collected for 29 professional football clubs competing in the J1 and J2 League for the financial years ending 2011–2020. Analysis was conducted using Altman’s Z-score methodology and additional statistical tests were conducted to measure differences between groups. The results show significant cases of financial distress amongst clubs in both divisions and that clubs that have played predominantly in the J1 League are in significantly poorer financial health than clubs that have played predominantly in the J2 League. Overall, the financial situation in Japanese professional football needs to be monitored, a position that could be exacerbated by the economic crisis, caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While the financial situation for a majority of the clubs in the J-League presents an austere picture, comparison with clubs in other leagues across Asia and Europe and understanding the different policies set by these leagues would enable us to understand whether the phenomenon of financial distress is common to other clubs and leagues across different countries and continents. The paper recommends that J-League visit the existing club licensing criteria and implement equitable cost-control measures, such as implementing a cap on acceptable losses over a specified period or restricting overall expenditures as a percentage of the club’s revenue. The paper extends the evidence base of measuring financial distress in professional team sports and is also the first paper of its kind to examine this in relation to Asian professional football. Show less

India boasts a rich sporting heritage dating back thousands of years. Despite its rich sporing culture, India only began developing its own sporting ecosystem in 1954 with the creation of the All-India Council of Sports (AICS), shortly after gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. However, in the seven decades that have passed, the systematisation and development of sport of India has been relatively slow and internationally India have had limited success on the elite stage. The… Show more

India boasts a rich sporting heritage dating back thousands of years. Despite its rich sporing culture, India only began developing its own sporting ecosystem in 1954 with the creation of the All-India Council of Sports (AICS), shortly after gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. However, in the seven decades that have passed, the systematisation and development of sport of India has been relatively slow and internationally India have had limited success on the elite stage. The aim of this profile is to provide a detailed insight into the vast sporting ecosystem in India by exploring the policies, enablers, and barriers in relation to sport participation, elite sport, and the use of sport across the nation to tackle non-sporting objectives. Following an introduction highlighting the key demographics and sporting culture in India, the profile moves onto outline the state led provision of sport in India, including how sport is organised and funded. Next, the significance of the commercial sport sector in India is highlighted, followed by a section detailing the growth of the not-for-profit sector. Finally, the profile highlights the current public policy priorities and challenges, which include elite sport success, tackling inactivity and poor governance in sport before offering some concluding observations. Show less

The formation of the English Premier League (EPL) in 1992 heralded a digital and financial revolution within the game. Broadcasting fees rose exponentially, clubs became cash rich and English clubs became attractive purchases for foreign investment. Our paper examines the change in competitive balance in the top tier of English football since the inception of the EPL, focusing on 56 seasons between 1964/65 and 2019/20. Our analysis shows that competitive balance has declined in the EPL era and… Show more

The formation of the English Premier League (EPL) in 1992 heralded a digital and financial revolution within the game. Broadcasting fees rose exponentially, clubs became cash rich and English clubs became attractive purchases for foreign investment. Our paper examines the change in competitive balance in the top tier of English football since the inception of the EPL, focusing on 56 seasons between 1964/65 and 2019/20. Our analysis shows that competitive balance has declined in the EPL era and that the league has begun to be dominated by a select number of clubs. From a sporting economics perspective, received theory suggests that such a decline could harm the product. If competitive balance continues to decline, the EPL may face potential future challenges from the attractiveness of the product to broadcasters and the continuing emergence of financially (and sporting) dominant super clubs leading to the potential of breakaway European super leagues, such as Project Big Picture. Show less

This paper conducts a holistic performance analysis of the Indian Super League (ISL) football competition and its member franchisees between 2014–2015 and 2019–2020 with a particular focus on financial and sporting performance metrics. The study utilises the PAM for professional football teams which consists of eight financial indicators and three sporting indicators. The data for this research were obtained by dissecting the annual accounts of ten ISL franchisees between 2014–2015 and… Show more

This paper conducts a holistic performance analysis of the Indian Super League (ISL) football competition and its member franchisees between 2014–2015 and 2019–2020 with a particular focus on financial and sporting performance metrics. The study utilises the PAM for professional football teams which consists of eight financial indicators and three sporting indicators. The data for this research were obtained by dissecting the annual accounts of ten ISL franchisees between 2014–2015 and 2019–2020 season. The results (at both franchisee and league level) show financial problems that have, in some ways, stunted growth of the ISL. Many franchisees have reported poor financial performance for the period of the study and there are problems with debt and profitability. As a result, our findings show that for this study, there is also no statistical evidence that having better financial health leads to superior sporting performance in the ISL to date. The ISL face challenges at governance level due to its peculiar structure and arrangements between the league, franchisees, and broadcasters. Financial performance has been an issue since the inception of the league and franchisees have cost control issues that have been commonplace in other major sporting leagues around the globe. Despite being in its infancy stage, the warning signs can lead to stagnation and regression of the league in the future, if not addressed properly. Show less

Purpose: This paper analyses competitive balance in 50 individual league seasons of the 'big five' women's football leagues in Asia longitudinally between 2010 and 2019.

Methodology: Competitive balance (CB) has been measured used 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… Show more

Purpose: This paper analyses competitive balance in 50 individual league seasons of the 'big five' women's football leagues in Asia longitudinally between 2010 and 2019.

Methodology: Competitive balance (CB) has been measured used 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.

Findings: Some 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: The paper is an original research and aims to add to the growing body of CB research in world through analysis of competitive balance (ACB). Show less

Rationale: This study analyses competitive balance (CB) in all formats of men's international cricket longitudinally between 1877 and 2019 with the results broken down into segregated time periods to account for changes in the format of the sport over the course of its history.

Methodology: Using recognised measures of league concentration, the results display a mixed picture in respect of competitive balance across the various formats of cricket. Men's international cricket has seen… Show more

Rationale: This study analyses competitive balance (CB) in all formats of men's international cricket longitudinally between 1877 and 2019 with the results broken down into segregated time periods to account for changes in the format of the sport over the course of its history.

Methodology: Using recognised measures of league concentration, the results display a mixed picture in respect of competitive balance across the various formats of cricket. Men's international cricket has seen growth in the last five years after all Twenty20 (T20) matches between International Cricket Council (ICC) member nations have been awarded international status and competitive balance in all formats of the game has remained relatively stable.

Findings: No significant changes have been observed in CB scores in test and One Day Internationals (ODI) while improvement in CB scores have been observed for T20I. We did not find any impact of the introduction of T20I on competitive balance in ODI cricket.

Practical implications: In a broader governance context, questions remain over the potential for further growth of the international cricket market given the dominant market position of the full members of ICC, in particular India, Australia and England, who have access to majority of the central revenue funding from the governing body. Show less

Competitive balance remains a core component of sport economics literature and an important management consideration for league organisers. This paper analyses competitive balance in the 'top five' women's football leagues in Europe longitudinally between 1997/98 and 2018/19. Using recognised measures of league concentration and dominance, the results display a mixed picture in respect of competitive balance across the five major women's leagues in European football. The women's football… Show more

Competitive balance remains a core component of sport economics literature and an important management consideration for league organisers. This paper analyses competitive balance in the 'top five' women's football leagues in Europe longitudinally between 1997/98 and 2018/19. Using recognised measures of league concentration and dominance, the results display a mixed picture in respect of competitive balance across the five major women's leagues in European football. The women's football industry has seen positive growth during the last ten years while competitive balance in most of the leagues examined has remained relatively stable. Some 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. In a broader governance context, questions remain over the potential for further growth in the women's game as leagues are moving towards commercialisation of TV rights from 2021 to 2022. Show less

This commentary provides a rapid analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on English football’s finances. The focus surrounds the distribution of wealth and financial disparity between clubs in the English football system leading to overspending and potential insolvency. We consider the impact of broadcast rights distribution, solidarity payments and parachute payments and provide strategic direction for a collective recovery. The intention is to stimulate discussion and analysis on how football… Show more

This commentary provides a rapid analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on English football’s finances. The focus surrounds the distribution of wealth and financial disparity between clubs in the English football system leading to overspending and potential insolvency. We consider the impact of broadcast rights distribution, solidarity payments and parachute payments and provide strategic direction for a collective recovery. The intention is to stimulate discussion and analysis on how football governing bodies can use the COVID-19 pandemic to reset the finances of English football. Such discussion provides a more balanced, competitive suite of competitions that tackle financial inequality and put aside self-interest. We reposition the winner takes all narrative, requesting clubs to reflect on the sporting product that has led to both success and failure at an individual club level. Show less

Competitive balance has been identified as a key economic factor impacting professional team sports. This paper analyses the competitive balance in the top 2 divisions of Russian football longitudinally between 2009-10 and 2018-19. Using recognised measures of league concentration and dominance, the results display an inconclusive picture in Russian football. Despite the growth of the European football market in the recent years, the financial gains are limited to the “uber-clubs” in the top… Show more

Competitive balance has been identified as a key economic factor impacting professional team sports. This paper analyses the competitive balance in the top 2 divisions of Russian football longitudinally between 2009-10 and 2018-19. Using recognised measures of league concentration and dominance, the results display an inconclusive picture in Russian football. Despite the growth of the European football market in the recent years, the financial gains are limited to the “uber-clubs” in the top five European leagues and competitive balance has declined in the top five European football leagues in recent years. Our results are in line with previous papers on European football. This study also uses measures of dominance and while this measure is not co-related with measures of concentration, it shows that the Russian Premier League operates in a monopolised market as compared to that of the Russian National League. Show less

Competitive balance remains a core component of sport economics literature and an important management consideration for league organisers. This paper analyses competitive balance in the 'big five' Asian football leagues longitudinally between 1996/97 and 2017/18. Using recognised measures of league concentration and dominance, the results display a mixed picture in respect of competitive balance across the five major leagues in Asian football. The Asian football market has seen positive growth… Show more

Competitive balance remains a core component of sport economics literature and an important management consideration for league organisers. This paper analyses competitive balance in the 'big five' Asian football leagues longitudinally between 1996/97 and 2017/18. Using recognised measures of league concentration and dominance, the results display a mixed picture in respect of competitive balance across the five major leagues in Asian football. The Asian football market has seen positive growth during the last two decades while competitive balance in most of the leagues examined has remained relatively stable. Some 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. In a broader governance context, questions remain over the potential for further growth in the Asian football market given the dominant market position of the European game. Show less

The story of global sport is the story of expansion from local development to globalized industry, from recreational to marketised activity. Alongside that, each sport has its own distinctive history, sub-cultures, practices and structures.

This ambitious new volume offers state-of-the-art overviews of the development of every major sport or classification of sport, examining their history, socio-cultural significance, political economy and international reach, and suggesting directions… Show more

The story of global sport is the story of expansion from local development to globalized industry, from recreational to marketised activity. Alongside that, each sport has its own distinctive history, sub-cultures, practices and structures.

This ambitious new volume offers state-of-the-art overviews of the development of every major sport or classification of sport, examining their history, socio-cultural significance, political economy and international reach, and suggesting directions for future research. Expert authors from around the world provide varied perspectives on the globalization of sport, highlighting diverse and often underrepresented voices. By putting sport itself in the foreground, this book represents the perfect companion to any social scientific course in sport studies, and the perfect jumping-off point for further study or research.

The Routledge Handbook of Global Sport is an essential reference for students and scholars of sport history, sport and society, the sociology of sport, sport development, sport and globalisation, sports geography, international sports organisations, sports cultures, the governance of sport, sport studies, sport coaching or sport management. Show less