THE VALUE OF HOME ADVANTAGE 48

Jozef Kuczynski, who was on the court, said that “the home atmosphere gave the team the belief that we could come back”.

While the pandemic turned the world of spectator sports upside down, it provided an insight into matches played in the absence of fans. One of English football’s most iconic stadiums, Anfield, boasted an unbeaten league run just shy of four years, often feeding off of a passionate atmosphere. This was until Liverpool were beaten by Burnley in January 2021. To rub salt in the wound, the Reds proceeded to go on a six-game losing streak at Anfield in the Premier League for the first time in their history. Granted, an injury crisis played a factor in their losing streak, but it is implausible that the lack of a ‘home advantage’ did not play a major part.

It is a rare occurrence in football that a stadium actually grants the home team a physical advantage, as it is usually the players’ psyche that is affected. However, the Estadio Hernando Siles, home to the Bolivian national football team is proving to be just that. The stadium is placed at an astounding altitude of 3,637 metres above sea level. Playing at a higher altitude results in a lower atmospheric pressure, causing the human body to experience a higher heart rate and other symptoms of lethargy. Athletes playing in such conditions would subsequently require a week or two for their body to acclimatise. Visiting teams argued that that altitude gave Bolivian footballers an unfair playing advantage. In May 2007, FIFA declared that no World Cup Qualifying matches could be played in stadiums above 2500m altitude.

This led to fierce campaigns from the likes of Bolivian president Evo Morales and the late footballing great Diego Maradona, to which FIFA swiftly responded by raising the altitude limit to 3000m and announcing a special exemption to Estadio Hernando Siles. Despite FIFA’s claims that playing in the stadium is safe, Lionel Messi vomited on the pitch during Argentina’s qualifier in 2013, while members of the Brazil squad were pictured using oxygen tanks before their game in 2017.

Shifting the spotlight to an individual sport, our attention turns to one of the greatest to ever play tennis, Rafael Nadal. Of his record 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, 14 of those were won on the clay courts of Roland Garros. You may question how a Spaniard playing in the French Open has a ‘home advantage’ over his opponents. A young Nadal lived in Manacor, Mallorca, and grew up playing on clay courts that were popular in Spain, granting him a sizable ‘home’ advantage that is transferable to Roland Garros. There, he has won 112 out of 115 games, and not dropped a set in four of his triumphs.

The home advantage in cricket often lies in the pitch and its surrounding outfield, meaning cricketers can play to its strengths. For example, Australia is well known for its hard pitches, resulting in a lot of bounce, which benefits their fast bowlers such as Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. Elsewhere, England’s grassy pitches make it difficult to bat on at the start of the season. Swing plays a large factor, helping Jimmy Anderson obliterate the opposition year after year. In Asia, Indian pitches are dry starting out, but the heat causes it to break up and soon becomes a native spinner’s playground.

Home advantage comes in a variety of forms. From perhaps the most recognisable fan examples, such as the City Ground roar, to the effect of different pitches, home advantage is a crucial factor in many sports. To discover this for yourself, why not support a Green and Gold team in a near home fixture?

By Vinay Patel