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Special ones? The effect of head coaches on football team performance

Author

Listed:
  • Alex Bryson
  • Babatunde Buraimo
  • Alex Farnell
  • Rob Simmons

Abstract

Using data from professional football leagues in four countries, we assess the effects on team performances following head coach turnover, distinguishing between voluntary and involuntary exits. We use entropy balancing to deal with the endogeneity of coach departures, by reweighting pre‐departure covariates to obtain a comparable control group. Results reveal little, if any, positive effect from either type of turnover, though some longer‐term benefits are possible if teams experience no subsequent turnover. We discuss how these findings fit with previous literature and theory, and discuss the wider practical implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Alex Bryson & Babatunde Buraimo & Alex Farnell & Rob Simmons, 2024. "Special ones? The effect of head coaches on football team performance," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 71(3), pages 295-322, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scotjp:v:71:y:2024:i:3:p:295-322
    DOI: 10.1111/sjpe.12369
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dobson,Stephen & Goddard,John, 2011. "The Economics of Football," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521517140, September.
    2. Alex Bryson & Babatunde Buraimo & Alex Farnell & Rob Simmons, 2021. "Time To Go? Head Coach Quits and Dismissals in Professional Football," De Economist, Springer, vol. 169(1), pages 81-105, February.
    3. Bruinshoofd, Allard & ter Weel, Bas, 2003. "Manager to go? Performance dips reconsidered with evidence from Dutch football," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(2), pages 233-246, July.
    4. Green, Colin & Lozano, Fernando & Simmons, Rob, 2015. "Rank-order tournaments, probability of winning and investing in talent: evidence from champions' league qualifying rules," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 232, pages 30-40, May.
    5. Maria De Paola & Vincenzo Scoppa, 2012. "The Effects of Managerial Turnover," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 13(2), pages 152-168, April.
    6. O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), 2011. "Handbook of Labor Economics," Handbook of Labor Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 4, number 4.
    7. O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), 2011. "Handbook of Labor Economics," Handbook of Labor Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 4, number 5.
    8. Andries de Grip, 2015. "The importance of informal learning at work," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 162-162, June.
    9. O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), 1999. "Handbook of Labor Economics," Handbook of Labor Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 3, number 3.
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    11. Farber, Henry S., 1999. "Mobility and stability: The dynamics of job change in labor markets," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 37, pages 2439-2483, Elsevier.
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    Cited by:

    1. Raphael Flepp & Egon Franck, 2021. "The Performance Effects Of Wise And Unwise Managerial Dismissals," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 59(1), pages 186-198, January.
    2. Kaori Narita & J.D. Tena & Babatunde Buraimo, 2022. "Causal and Consequences of Multiple Dismissals: Evidence from Italian Football League," Working Papers 202226, University of Liverpool, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • Z22 - Other Special Topics - - Sports Economics - - - Labor Issues

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