It is a statistical fact that home teams win more often. What are the physiological and psychological benefits of playing sport on your home ground?
Home Sweet Home
Familiar surroundings, supportive crowd, no overnight stays all add to that homely feeling for the team in their own backyard. Visiting sides new to the vagaries of the playing conditions and exposed to the potential vitriol of the home support are seen as being at a distinct disadvantage.
Increase of Testosterone
Psychologists at the University of Northumbria in the UK undertook a study to see if testosterone levels of soccer players were different before home or away games. The squad tested comprised under-19 players at an English Premier League club.
Saliva samples were taken prior to three training sessions, two home games and two away games. The players were matched with two opposition squads, one of which was a close local rival, the other a more moderate advisory.
The testosterone levels registered the male average before training sessions and away games, but 40% higher before the home match against the moderate rivals and 67% higher before facing the bitterest rival.
One of the psychologists, Sandy Wolfson, said goalkeepers showed the biggest variation.
“In training they had the lowest levels, but before the home match the highest. We know testosterone is linked to dominance and aggression in animals. Perhaps if you’re playing at home, you feel you are defending your territory and goalkeepers are the last line of that defence.”
Individual and Team Sports
Home advantage appears more important in team than individual sports. Why is it more apparent as a team phenomenon?
Studies of how home players perform in individual sports such as golf and tennis seem to show little ‘home effect’. For example, it is likely Tim Henman reached four Wimbledon semi-finals because the tournament was played on his favoured grass surface rather than because it was held in South West London.
Interestingly home field advantage is less significant in baseball than basketball. Baseball is essentially a series of individual battles within a team setting (the same can be said of cricket), whereas basketball is an interactive team sport heavily reliant on the co-ordination of the group to bring about the desired outcome. In such situations familiar surroundings appear to bolster team unity and home advantage is a significant factor in results.
The Effect of Science and Money
In the future home advantage may well prove to be less of a factor in sporting success. The global nature of sport, particularly soccer, may see matches being traded to the highest bidder and the nature of the home ground may become the recourse of the romantic traditionalist. Financial rewards could become an overriding consideration to sports administrators and team owners.
Already the English Premier League has mooted taking a single game overseas and the NFL has brought regular season games to Wembley Stadium in London.
For the cynical, the ability of pharmatological enhancement may become even more prevalent. If testosterone is an advantage then perhaps the relevant masking agent may be an attractive pot of gold to chase.
May the Better Team Win
Testosterone levels, intimidating home support, knowing how to get the hot water to work in the changing room…take your pick on what makes home field advantage count. The bottom line may be that, as was ever thus in sport, the better team usually wins.
Sources
Social Psychology in Sport - Sophie Jowett, David Lavallee (Human Kinetics, 2006)
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