Football fans want nothing more than cheering on their team in the stadium. But what has changed since his absence?
Exactly a year ago, the first ghost game of many in German football took place. Thousands of fans cheer on their teams at the Rheinderby between Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln. On March 11, 2020, however, it was very quiet in the stands in Borussia-Park. The game took place behind closed doors, and many more have been added to this day. In this first Bundesliga ghost game, the home side from Mönchengladbach won 2-1. But how has the balance sheet of the home teams changed in times of Corona?
No fans – no home advantage?
Without fans cheering on their own team, there is actually no home advantage. That would be a logical consequence; the facts and figures confirm this. In this 2020/21 season, the home teams only recorded a victory rate of 37.7 percent. The second worst season in terms of home success rate is the preseason. At that time, the Bundesliga teams won an average of two out of five home games. Both seasons took place partially without spectators in the stadiums, which was reflected in the home advantage.
The point average of the home teams confirms this. So far they have only scored 1.42 points per game this season. In the previous season it was also a meager 1.43 points per game. For comparison: the lowest value in this category came from the 1990/91 season until the last two seasons. At that time, home teams in the Bundesliga scored 1.55 points per game. That’s a huge leap.
With and without Corona within one season
The connection between ghost games and home advantage can best be illustrated in the division of the 2019/20 season. Before the corona crisis occurred in German football, the teams won on the home turf significantly more often on average than after the restart, as the following table illustrates.
