Abstract
Previous works that have analysed the efficiency of the management of professional football clubs have not paid much attention to the interaction between the sporting, social and economic dimensions of their activity. To bridge this research gap, a DEA model is developed and applied to determine the relative efficiency of clubs participating in one of the main football leagues while taking into account their multiplicity of objectives. The proposed two-stage relational network DEA model assumes that the financial resources of the clubs are distributed between social and sporting dimensions, contributing to generate results in both areas that, in the second stage, determine the business performance of the clubs. As the actual distributions of the primary inputs are unknown, two complementary approaches are used. First, the model is solved by assuming a parameterization of the distribution. Then, a simulation model is used to study the effect of the different distributions on the efficiency by means of contour charts. A final cluster analysis completes the study. The sample consists of the 20 clubs that played in Spain’s First Division in the 2016–17 season. The evidence shows that the efficiency of the clubs increases when a higher proportion of the primary inputs is allocated to the social dimension. In addition, the clubs are more efficient in converting their sporting and social results into income, than when turning their economic resources into sporting successes and social support. As a result, the model makes it possible to extend efficiency analysis to professional sports organisations which have multiple objectives.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Araújo N, De Carlos P, Fraiz JA (2014) Top European football clubs and social networks: a true 2.0 relationship? Sport Bus Manag 4(3):250–264. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-07-2013-0022
Baroncelli A, Lago U (2006) Italian Football J Sport Econ 7(1):13–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002505282863
Barros CP, Douvis J (2009) Comparative analysis of football efficiency among two small European countries: Portugal and Greece. Int J Sport Manag Mark 6(2):183–199. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSMM.2009.028801
Barros CP, Garcia-del-Barrio P (2011) Productivity drivers and market dynamics in the Spanish first division football league. J Prod Anal 35(1):5–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11123-010-0196-9
Barros CP, Leach S (2006) Performance evaluation of the English Premier Football League with data envelopment analysis. Appl Econ 38(12):1449–1458. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036840500396574
Barros CP, Assaf A, Sá-Earp F (2010) Brazilian football league technical efficiency: a simar and wilson approach. J Sport Econ 11(6):641–651. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002509357530
Boscá JE, Liern V, Martínez A, Sala R (2009) Increasing offensive or defensive efficiency? an analysis of Italian and Spanish football. Omega 37(1):63–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2006.08.002
Chao S-L, Yu M-M, Hsieh W-F (2018) Evaluating the efficiency of major container shipping companies: a framework of dynamic network DEA with shared inputs. Transp Res Part A Policy Pract 117:44–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2018.08.002
Charnes A, Cooper WW, Rhodes E (1978) Measuring the efficiency of decision making units. Eur J Oper Res 2(6):429–444. https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-2217(78)90138-8
Chelmis E, Niklis D, Baourakis G, Zopounidis C (2019) Multicriteria evaluation of football clubs: the Greek Superleague. Oper Res Int J 19(2):585–614. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12351-017-0300-2
Espitia-Escuer M, García-Cebrián LI (2004) Measuring the efficiency of Spanish first division soccer teams. J Sport Econ 5(4):329–346. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002503258047
Espitia-Escuer M, García-Cebrián LI (2006) Performance in Sports teams: results and potential in the professional soccer league in Spain. Manag Decis 44(8):1020–1030. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740610690595
Espitia-Escuer M, García-Cebrián LI (2008) Measuring the Productivity of Spanish First Division Soccer Teams. Eur Sport Manag Q 8(3):229–246. http://refhub.elsevier.com/S0377-2217(16)30344-7/sbref0018
Espitia-Escuer M, García-Cebrián LI (2010) Measurement of the Efficiency of Football Teams in the Champions League. Manag Decis Econ 31(6):373–386. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.1491
Freitas MM de, Flach L, Farias RAS (2017) Efficiency Determinants in Brazilian Football Clubs. Braz Bus Rev 14(Special Ed):1–23. https://doi.org/10.15728/edicaoesp.2017.1
Galariotis E, Germain C, Zopounidis C (2018) A combined methodology for the concurrent evaluation of the business, financial and sports performance of football clubs: the case of France. Ann Oper Res 266(1–2):589–612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-017-2631-z
García-Sánchez IM (2007) Efficiency and effectiveness of Spanish football teams: a three-stage-DEA approach. Cent Eur J Oper Res 15(1):21–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-006-0017-4
Ghio A, Ruberti M, Verona R (2019) Financial constraints on sport organizations’ cost efficiency: the impact of financial fair play on Italian soccer clubs. Appl Econ 51(24):2623–2638. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2018.1558348
González-Gómez F, Picazo-Tadeo AJ (2010) Can we be satisfied with our football team? Evidence from Spanish professional football. J Sport Econ 11(4):418–442. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002509341020
Guzmán I, Morrow S (2007) Measuring efficiency and productivity in professional football teams: evidence from the English Premier League. Cent Eur J Oper Res 15(4):309–328. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-007-0034-y
Haas DJ (2003a) Productive efficiency of English football teams—a data envelopment analysis approach. Manag Decis Econ 24(5):403–410. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.1105
Haas DJ (2003b) Technical Efficiency in the Major League Soccer. J Sport Econ 4(3):203–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002503252144
Haas D, Kocher MG, Sutter M (2004) Measuring efficiency of German football teams by data envelopment analysis. Cent Eur J Oper Res 12(3):251–268
Halkos G, Tzeremes N (2013) A two-stage double bootstrap DEA: the case of the top 25 European football clubs’ efficiency levels. Manag Decis Econ 34(2):108–115. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.2597
Jardin M (2009) Efficiency of French football clubs and its dynamics. MPRA Paper No. 19828. Online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/19828/1/Efficiency_of_French_football_clubs_and_its_dynamics.pdf
Kao C (2009) Efficiency decomposition in network data envelopment analysis: a relational model. Eur J Oper Res 192(3):949–962. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2007.10.008
Kao C (2014) Network data envelopment analysis: a review. Eur J Oper Res 239(1):1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2014.02.039
Kern A, Schwarzmann M, Wiedenegger A (2012) Measuring the efficiency of English Premier League football: a two-stage data envelopment analysis approach. Sport Bus Manag 2(3):177–195. https://doi.org/10.1108/20426781211261502
KPMG (2018a) The European Elite 2018. Football Clubs’ valuation. Available at https://www.footballbenchmark.com/documents/files/public/KPMG%20Football%20Clubs%20Valuation%202018%20WEB.pdf. Accessed 8 March 2019
KPMG (2018b) The European Champions Report 2018. Available at https://www.footballbenchmark.com/documents/files/public/KPMG_Football_Benchmark_The%20European_Champions_Report_2018(1).pdf. Accessed 8 March 2019
Llopis-Goig R (2015) Spanish football and social change. Palgrave Macmillan, London
LNFP (2018) Informe económico-financiero del fútbol profesional 2017 [Economic and financial report of professional football 2017]. Available at https://files.laliga.es/pdf-hd/informe-economico/informe-economico-2017_v3.pdf. Accessed 2 April 2019
Madeiro G (2007) Sport and power: globalization and merchandizing in the soccer world. Soc Bus Rev 2(3):287–298. https://doi.org/10.1108/17465680710825479
Odeck J (2007) Measuring technical efficiency and productivity growth: a comparison of SFA and DEA on Norwegian grain production data. Appl Econ 39(20):2617–2630. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036840600722224
Olabe F (2015) El mix de comunicación de los clubes de fútbol en España desde la perspectiva de los periodistas deportivos [The communication mix of football clubs from the perspective of sports journalists]. Prisma Social 14:85–123. Available at https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=5435324
Palco23 (2017) La Guía Económica de LaLiga. 2017 [The Economic Guide to LaLiga. 2017]. Available at https://www.palco23.com/visor-online.php?id=7&name=La+Gu%C3%ADa+Econ%C3%B3mica+de+LaLiga+2017#1. Accessed 21 April 2019
Palco23 (2018) La Guía Económica de LaLiga. 2018 [The Economic Guide to LaLiga. 2018]. Available at https://www.palco23.com/visor-online.php?id=15&name=La+Gu%C3%ADa+Econ%C3%B3mica+de+LaLiga+2018#3. Accessed 21 April 2019
Papahristodoulou C (2006) Team Performance in UEFA Champions League 2005–06. MPRA Paper No. 138. Online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/138/1/MPRA_paper_138.pdf
Parganas P, Liasko R, Anagnostopoulos C (2017) Scoring goals in multiple fields: social media presence, on-field performance and commercial success in European professional football. Sport Bus Manag 7(2):197–215. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-11-2016-0072
Picazo-Tadeo A, González-Gómez F (2010) Does playing several competitions influence a team’s league performance? evidence from Spanish professional football. Cent Eur J Oper Res 18(3):413–432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-009-0117-z
Pierpoint B (2000) ‘Heads above water’: Business strategies for a new football economy. Soccer Soc 1(1):29–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970008721246
PwC (2018) Impacto económico, fiscal y social del fútbol profesional en España. Diciembre 2018 [Economic, fiscal and social impact of professional football in Spain. December 2018]. Available at https://files.laliga.es/201902/28181426impacto-econ--mico--fiscal-y-social-del-f--tbol-pr.pdf. Accessed 23 July 2019
R Core Team (2018) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. Available at http://www.R-project.org/
Ribeiro AS, Lima F (2012) Portuguese football league efficiency and players’ wages. Appl Econ Lett 19(6):599–602. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2011.591719
Rossi M, Thrassou A, Vrontis D (2013) Football performance and strategic choices in Italy and beyond. Int J Organ Anal 21(4):546–564. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-04-2013-0659
Sala R, Liern V, Martínez A, Boscá JE (2009) Analysis and evolution of efficiency in the Spanish Soccer League (2000/01–2007/08). J Quant Anal Sports 5(1):1–24. https://doi.org/10.2202/1559-0410.1143
Sánchez C, Barajas A, Sánchez-Fernández P (2017) Does the agency theory play football? Universia Bus Rev 53:18–59. https://doi.org/10.3232/UBR.2017.V14.N1.01
Sexton TR, Lewis HF (2003) Two-stage DEA: an application to major league baseball. J Prod Anal 19(2–3):227–249. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022861618317
Tavassoli M, Faramarzi GR, Saen RF (2014) Efficiency and effectiveness in airline performance using a SBM-NDEA model in the presence of shared input. J Air Transp Manage 34:146–153
Theodoridis AM, Anwar MA (2011) A comparison of DEA and SFA methods: a case study of farm households in Bangladesh. J Dev Areas 45:95–110. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23215265.pdf
Tiedemann T, Francksen T, Latacz-Lohmann U (2011) Assessing the performance of German Bundesliga football players: a non-parametric metafrontier approach. Cent Eur J Oper Res 19:571–587. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-010-0146-7
Toloo M, Emrouznejad A, Moreno P (2017) A linear relational DEA model to evaluate two-stage processes with shared inputs. Comp Appl Math 36(1):45–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40314-014-0211-2
Torres-Dávila CG, García-Cebrián LI (2012) Eficiencia y resultados deportivos: Aplicación a la liga mexicana de fútbol [Efficiency and sports results: Application to Mexican League]. Movimiento Humano 3:61–76. Available at https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=4040223
Villa G, Lozano S (2016) Assessing the scoring efficiency of a football match. Eur J Oper Res 255(2):559–569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2016.05.024
Yu M-M, Chen L-H (2020) A meta-frontier network data envelopment analysis approach for the measurement of technological bias with network production structure. Ann Oper Res 287:495–514. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-019-03436-3
Zambom-Ferraresi F, García-Cebrián LI, Lera-López F, Iráizoz B (2017) Performance evaluation in the UEFA champions league. J Sport Econ 18(5):448–470. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002515588135
Zambom-Ferraresi F, Lera-López F, Iráizoz B (2017) And if the ball does not cross the line? a comprehensive analysis of football clubs’ performance. Appl Econ Lett 24(17):1259–1262. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2016.1270408
Zambom-Ferraresi F, Iráizoz B, Lera-López F (2019) Are football managers as efficient as coaches? Performance analysis with ex ante and ex post inputs in the Premier league. Appl Econ 51(3):303–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2018.1495821
Zelenkov Y, Solntsev I (2017) Measuring the efficiency of Russian Football Premier League clubs. Electron J Appl Stat Anal 10(3):773–789. https://doi.org/10.1285/i20705948v10n3p773
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pérez-González, A., de Carlos, P. & Alén, E. An analysis of the efficiency of football clubs in the Spanish First Division through a two-stage relational network DEA model: a simulation study. Oper Res Int J 22, 3089–3112 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12351-021-00650-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12351-021-00650-5