Joanne O’Riordan: Sad absence of fans diminishing home advantage

It’s been over a whole year since life as we knew it stopped and we all hunkered down, not knowing what was to come.

From a sporting perspective, this was the last time we could all gather together and watch a football match, with spit flying, sweat coming off the patron next to you and your knees pressed into the back of someone’s neck. What you probably wouldn’t give to experience that again.

My camera roll on my iPhone did a horrible thing. It told me what I was up to in March last year. It informed me I finished my tour of Northern Ireland, taking in various games on different grounds, and I was still reeling from freezing in Omagh during the winter watching the Tyrone footballers. I’d stood in Ardfinnan watching Tipperary ladies play, and I was gearing up to a Cork football double . . . men and women, obviously.

But, it all came to a halt. We all thought we’d be at games soon, and although we were for a very limited time, the appetite was growing, and so was the impatience.

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Bundesliga was the first to get things going, and as Borussia Dortmund played Schalke, statisticians, fans, journalists, and practically everyone flicked on any channel that gave them live football. As for home advantage and how the lack of fans would impact a game, some of the stats tell us an eerie story.

For example, the performances of home teams in the Bundesliga have collapsed in front of empty stands. The number of home victories slipped by 10%, to 33% of matches in empty stadiums from 43% in full ones. According to data provided by Gracenote, another analysis firm, teams playing at home scored fewer goals than they had in full stadiums (1.74 to 1.43 per game), leading to a decline in goalscoring overall.

During another interview with Aidan Brady, the GAA’s referees’ sports scientist, who has, by and large, changed referees and how they do what they do, we discussed the impact no fans had on referees. He said that not much would have changed from a GAA perspective and, without any data, it would be hard to speculate. But data coming out from Germany showed that the referees’ decision -making was impacted by no fans.

In the 83 matches Gracenote analysed, teams playing at home were blown more for fouls in empty stadiums than when fans were in the stands. There was also an increase in yellow cards being dished out to home teams. Both teams committed more fouls in empty stadiums than they had in full ones, maybe pointing to the fact referees enforce the rules more stringently without fans on their backs.

Gate receipts

Gate receipts have also had a significant impact on various organisations. In the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, gate receipts were down from €755k to €43k. We won’t see this effect for a while, especially since the LGFA in their annual report shows the LGFA’s income of €5.62m for 2020 is only a slight drop on the 2019 figure of €5.75m.

Equality isn’t cheap, and when push comes to shove about facilities, injury funds, player expenses, we will see how vital those gate receipts were.

And funnily enough, while watching La Liga matches at home I was mildly entertained, then confused and then annoyed by the light show put on in every home stadium. A part of me experienced a longing for crowds and attending games, the independence to just be able to apply for a ticket, hop in my car, and be let down by my respective teams.

Another part of me was angry. Angry that a full year of my life has been taken away due to individual decisions that impact the masses. Angry, knowing that my actions as an individual were always going to be hindered because this virus is relentless, and this Government continues to fumble the only light at the end of this tunnel.

Empty grounds are not only hard to get used to; they’re a reality we shouldn’t become accustomed to. While the energy, optimism and sheer desire wanes, like everything after time, it feels like sport, like life, is something for fans and teams to get through.

Seeing amateur players in Ireland change in their cars, not be able to have a hot meal together after games and seeing how joint captains are now banned (in case we have too much of a good time), it all feels a bit made up in the hope something will eventually work.

Sure, this will pass, eventually, and everything will return to something approaching normality. But for now we’ve just got to ride this wave, whatever controversy is thrown at us next, and understand the future, while it may not feel like it, is in our hands.