Journals / Yalova Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Dergisi / 2025 / Cilt: 4 Sayı: 2

An Empirical Investigation of the Change in Fan Attendance at Football Matches Before and After the Pandemic

Pandemi Öncesi ve Sonrası Dönemde Futbol Maçlarında Taraftar Katılımındaki Değişimin Ampirik Olarak İncelenmesi

Pages
283–294
Publication Date
2025-10-23
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings show that the impact of the pandemic on football stands is not simultaneous, simultaneous, and homogeneous, and that audience behavior is shaped according to various conditions.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This study was conducted to examine the changes in the attendance of fans in football stadiums after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Key Findings & Data:Within the scope of the study, the pre and post-pandemic periods were analyzed comparatively over 61,978 matches.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings show that the impact of the pandemic on football stands is not simultaneous, simultaneous, and homogeneous, and that audience behavior is shaped according to various conditions.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:COVID-19 · Futbol · Taraftar

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the changes in the attendance of fans in football stadiums after the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the scope of the study, the pre and post-pandemic periods were analyzed comparatively over 61,978 matches. Competition data was obtained from the open data source Kaggle platform and cross-validated with match data. The research was conducted with a comparative descriptive analysis model based on quantitative research design. The analysis includes the differences in the average number of fans by country, organization and match status. The changes in the number of spectators per match before and after the pandemic were evaluated according to the independent sample t-test results and a statistically significant increase in the number of spectators was found at the end of the pandemic. At the organization level, UEFA Europa League matches experienced a significant increase in attendance after the pandemic. In terms of match status, international cup matches attracted more spectators, while local league and cup matches showed significant decreases in attendance. The findings show that the impact of the pandemic on football stands is not simultaneous, simultaneous, and homogeneous, and that audience behavior is shaped according to various conditions.

Özet

Bu araştırma COVID-19 pandemisi sonrası futbol karşılaşmalarında taraftarların stadyumlara katılımlarının değişimini incelemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. İnceleme kapsamında pandemi öncesi ve sonrası dönemler 61 bin 978 müsabaka verisi üzerinden karşılaştırmalı olarak analiz edilmiştir. Müsabaka verileri açık veri kaynağı olan Kaggle platformundan elde edilmiş ve maç verileri ile çapraz doğrulama yapılmıştır. Nicel araştırma desenine dayalı karşılaştırmalı betimsel analiz modeli ile araştırma gerçekleştirilmiştir. Analizlerde ülkelere, organizasyona ve maç statüsüne göre taraftar sayısı ortalamalarının farklarını kapsamaktadır. Pandemi öncesi ve sonrası maç başına seyirci sayısı değişimleri bağımsız örneklem t-testi sonuçlarına göre değerlendirilmiş ve pandeminin sonunda seyirci sayısında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir artış saptanmıştır. Organizasyon düzeyinde UEFA Avrupa Ligi maçları pandemi sonrasında önemli bir seyirci artışı yaşamıştır. Maç statüsü bağlamında ise uluslararası kupa karşılaşmaları daha fazla izleyici çekerken, yerel lig ve kupa maçlarında seyirci sayılarında anlamlı azalmalar görülmüştür. Elde edilen bulgular, pandeminin futbol tribünlerindeki etkisinin eş zamanlı, eş yönlü ve homojen olmadığını, seyirci davranışlarının çeşitli koşullara göre şekillendiğini göstermektedir.

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Cite This Article

Karaman, T. (2025). An Empirical Investigation of the Change in Fan Attendance at Football Matches Before and After the Pandemic. Yalova Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, Cilt: 4 Sayı: 2, 283–294. https://doi.org/10.70007/yalovaspor.1751587

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