Determinant variables that predict the performance of professional soccer clubs in Ethiopian Primer League
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v65.110434Keywords:
Determinants, performance, predict, soccer clubsAbstract
Introduction: Managing soccer clubs is a challenging and rewarding experience, requiring a combination of leadership skills and strategic decision-making.
Objective: This study investigated professional soccer club performance determinants in the Ethiopian Premier League. Methodology: This study investigated professional soccer club performance determinants in the Ethiopian Premier League. A correlational analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the variables and the performance of soccer clubs. Thirty-nine seven-point Likert scale questionnaires, deemed reliable (α = .91), were used to collect data from a sample of 214 participants selected through a simple random sampling method. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, correlations, and multiple linear regression analyses (with a significance level of P < 0.05) were performed using SPSS version 26 software.
Results: There was a negative correlation between the performance of soccer clubs and fan influence (r = (214) -.170, p < .05); financing (r = (214) -.394, p < .01); club history (r = (214) -.106, p > .05); game situations (r = (214) -.480, p < .01); human capital (r = (214) -.024, p > .05); media (r = (214) -.365, p < .01); legal issues (r = (214) -.406, p < .01); and leadership and governance (r = (214) -.139, p < .05), respectively. Furthermore, eight predictors collectively explained 44.7% of the variance (F (8, 214) = 22.537, p < .001).
Discussion: The study reveals that factors like financing, game situations, media, and legal issues significantly influence soccer club performance, accounting for nearly half of its variability.
Conclusions: The study found that game situation, financial capability, and legal issues significantly impact football club performance, whereas human capital, fan influence, and club history exhibit greater variability.
References
Abir, T. (2017). The Development and Challenges of Football Sport in Some Selected Woredas of North Showa Zone. American Journal of Sports Science, 5(6), 40. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajss.20170506.11
Agostino, D., & Thomasson, A. (2024). NPOs and private governance forms for football clubs: towards a blended model. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 37(2), 672–681. https://doi.org/10.1108/aaaj-06-2022-5873
Aguiar-Noury, A., & Garcia-Del-Barrio, P. (2022). Performance and Revenues in European Football: Clubs’ Media Visibility and Brand Value. International Journal of the Economics of Business, 29(3), 241–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/13571516.2022.2095889
Andrade Júnior, D. L. I., & Piva, T. A. (2019). Determinantes do desempenho esportivo dos clubes do futebol brasileiro. Revista Intercontinental De Gestão Desportiva-rigd, 9(3), 49–66.
Arraya, M. (2022). Kick and rush ou valorizar fatores estratégicos na recuperação do sucesso e riqueza financeira dos clubes de futebol profissional. Intercontinental Journal of Sport Management/revista Intercontinental De Gestão Desportiva, 12(1).
Cruz, J. M., Schregel, J. P., & Zülch, H. (2022). Measuring robustness: sustainable success factors affecting professional football clubs. Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, 12(3), 323–341. https://doi.org/10.1108/sbm-03-2021-0041
Dahl, K. D. (2013). External factors and athletic performance.
Dart, J. (2009). Review Essay: Tackling a Nation's Football History. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 26(11), 1748–1757. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523360903133111
Dimitropoulos, P. E., & Koumanakos, E. (2015). Intellectual capital and profitability in European football clubs. International Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Performance Evaluation, 11(2), 202. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijaape.2015.068862
Eisenberg, C. (2006). International bibliography of football history. 170–208.
Evans, A. B., Barker-Ruchti, N., Blackwell, J., Clay, G., Dowling, F., Frydendal, S., Gliemann Hybholt, M., Hausken-Sutter, S. E., Lenneis, V., Malcolm, D., Phoenix, C., Smith, B., Svendler Nielsen, C., Wilcock, L., Williams, O., & Winther, H. (2021). Qualitative research in sports studies: challenges, possibilities and the current state of play. European Journal for Sport and Society, 18(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/16138171.2021.1899969
Gajardo, M. Á. L., Cidoncha, A. F., Morales, A. R., García, J. D., & Ponce, I. G. (2022). Factores que determinan la consecución del rendimiento en el fútbol de élite: Orientación cualitativa con jugadores y jugadoras profesionales. Nuevas Tendencias En Educación Física, 789–800.
Gallucci, C., & Tipaldi, R. (2024). Governance, management, sustainability, and performance in the football industry: A bibliometric analysis. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, 1, 101–129. https://doi.org/10.3280/cgrds1-2024oa16958
Garcia-Del-Barrio, P., & Rossi, G. (2024). Objectives pursued by European football clubs: compete for income through victories and media exposure. Managerial Finance. https://doi.org/10.1108/mf-06-2024-0476
Gerrard, B., & Lockett, A. (2018). Team-specific Human Capital and Performance. British Journal of Management, 29(1), 10–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12173
Getnet, D., Melkamu, Z., & Mengistu, S. (2023). Financial performance, fan welfare maximization, leadership and governance on sporting success. Hawassa University.
Getnet, D., Melkamu, Z., & Mengistu, S. (2024). Why do fans attend football games? Motivational factors in the Ethiopian Premier League. Retos, 60, 83–89. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v60.107642
Getnet, D., Melkamu, Z., & Mengistu, S. (2025). Exploring the dynamics of financing, fan influence, and leadership and governance in soccer club performance. Retos, 63,610–621. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v63.109621
Guebert, L. (2024). Beyond the Scoreboard: Examining Media Activism related to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to the 2023 FIFA. Women's World Cup.
Hoffmann, R., Ging, L. C., & Ramasamy, B. (2002). The Socio-Economic Determinants of International Soccer Performance. Journal of Applied Economics, 5(2), 253–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/15140326.2002.12040579
Kite, C. S., & Nevill, A. (2017). The Predictors and Determinants of Inter-Seasonal Success in a Professional Soccer Team. Journal of Human Kinetics, 58(1), 157–167. https://doi.org/10.1515/hukin-2017-0084
Maly, T., Zahalka, F., Sugimoto, D., Mala, L., Hank, M., Bujnovsky, D., & Ford, K. R. (2022). Analyses Of Physical Performance Determinants In Male Professional Soccer Players. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 54(9), 550–551. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000881996.31042.7d
Marino, D. (2014). Governance and Sporting Success of Top 20 Football Clubs After Economic Crisis. Optimal Strategies in Sports Economics and Management, 2, 87–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13205-6_5
Marquès, P. (2015). Déterminants et modalités du répertoire concurrentiel : une étude empirique du football professionnel européen. Recherches En Sciences De Gestion, N° 109(4), 25–48. https://doi.org/10.3917/resg.109.0025
Mccarthy, J., Rowley, J., & Keegan, B. J. (2022). Social media marketing strategy in English football clubs. Soccer & Society, 23(4-5), 513–528. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2022.2059872
Miragaia, D., Ferreira, J., Carvalho, A., & Ratten, V. (2019). Interactions between financial efficiency and sports performance: Data for a sustainable entrepreneurial approach of European professional football clubs. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, 8(1), 84–102.
Mitchell, C., Reeves, J., & Tyler, D. (2013). The history of English football clubs.
Morse, J. (2020). The Changing Face of Qualitative Inquiry. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 1609406920909938. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920909938
Perechuda, I. (2020). Football Clubs Drowned by Players. Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, 27(1), 28–32. https://doi.org/10.2478/pjst-2020-0005
Perechuda, I. (2020). Intellectual Capital Determinants of Football Clubs in Europe. Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, 27(2), 8–13. https://doi.org/10.2478/pjst-2020-0008
Plumley, D., Wilson, R., & Ramchandani, G. (2017). Towards a model for measuring holistic performance of professional Football clubs. Soccer & Society, 18(1), 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2014.980737
Pratama, B., Innayah, M., Esita, P., Winarni, D., & Setyawan, A. (2020). Intellectual Capital and Financial Performance of English Football Club. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of Business, Accounting and Economics, 2020, 5–6. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.5-8-2020.2301086
Røynesdal, Ø., Toering, T., & Gustafsson, H. (2018). Understanding players' transition from youth to senior professional football environments: A coach perspective. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 13(1), 26–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954117746497
Samur, S. (2018). Organization Design in Football Management Process. International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 6(2), 38–46. https://doi.org/10.13189/saj.2018.060203
Sánchez, L. C., Barajas, A., & Sanchez-Fernandez, P. (2021). Fans in the ownership of Big Five leagues: lessons for better football governance. Soccer & Society, 22(4), 355–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2020.1819800
Scafarto, V., & Dimitropoulos, P. (2018). Human capital and financial performance in professional football: the role of governance mechanisms. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 18(2), 289–316. https://doi.org/10.1108/cg-05-2017-0096
Schuth, M., Brosi, P., Folger, N., Chen, G., & Ployhart, R. E. (2023). When new talent scores: The impact of human capital and the team socialization context on newcomer performance in professional sports teams. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(6), 1046–1059. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001060
Stafylidis, A., Mandroukas, A., Michailidis, Y., Vardakis, L., Metaxas, I., Kyranoudis, A. E., & Metaxas, T. I. (2024). Key Performance Indicators Predictive of Success in Soccer: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Greek Soccer League. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 9(2), 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk9020107
Tadesse, S., Asgedom, T., & Taddese, A. (2023). Incentives and Compensation in Ethiopian Football. Indonesian Journal of Sport Management, 3(2), 152–161. https://doi.org/10.31949/ijsm.v3i2.6113
Tomlinson, A. (2014). FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203710401
Totten, M. (2018). Football and community empowerment: how FC Sankt Pauli fans organize to influence. Football, Community and Sustainability, 43–60. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315112169-5
Tufa, G. B. (2015). Status, challenges and prospect of youth sport training centers in some selected regions in Ethiopia. Journal of Physical Education Research, 2, 32–39.
Zambom-Ferraresi, F., Rios, V., & Lera-López, F. (2018). Determinants of sport performance in European football: What can we learn from the data?. Decision Support Systems, 114, 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2018.08.006
Zülch, H., Palme, M., & Jost, S. P. (2018). Management quality of professional football clubs: the Football Management (FoMa) Q-Score. Business and Management: An International Journal, 10(5), 567–598. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-10-2019-0092
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Daniel Getnet, Zelalem Melkamu, Sisay Mengistu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
