RARIFIED PITCHES

 REACHING THE HEIGHTS OR LOWS

Football clubs with a stadium at high-altitide and playing at home against clubs from sea level are more likely to win,  as 'the players are better adapted to low oxygen levels'. It will be clear that there are many other variables involved here but, well it makes you think!

Results from more than 2,000 matches in the UEFA Champions' League and Europa League between 2008 and 2016 were examined for a study by Ghent University. The Belgian researchers found that within the matches studied, the home team won 47.1 per cent of the time compared to 28.7 per cent for the away team. For every 320ft increase in altitude between the home and away team stadium, the chance of the home side winning goes up by 1.1 percentage points. There is 2,221ft between Real Madrid and Chelsea, so based on the study findings the Spanish side should beat the London club 7 percentage points more often. The two teams never playing in the Champions League, but in a single UEFA Super Cup clash in 1998 at the Stade Louis II in 1998, results in a 1-0 win for Chelsea but at it was on neutral ground the study findings don't apply to that match!!! 

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For every 320ft increase in altitude between the home and away team stadium the chance of the home side winning goes up by 1.1 percentage points

Travel and climate differences, whether a team or area was richer or poorer and culture had very little impact on the success rate of the home team, it was found. The study's main finding is that when a home team receives another team from a city much closer to sea level, the home advantage clearly increases. 'A possible explanation for this may be that the available oxygen decreases with increasing altitude,' said co-author Nils Van Damme. 'Home team players are likely to be more adapted to performing well in the condition of low oxygen levels.'

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In December Bayern beatTottenham 3-1 at the Allianz Arena in Germany when they last met in the Champions League. Bayern's stadium is 1,614ft above sea level, 1,549ft higher than Tottenham's stadium.

They examined a number of variables including the final score, distance between teams, distance above sea level, difference in temperature and in average rainfall.  They also looked at the difference in GDP between the two competing teams, number of spectators and match record based on UEFA data. The track record of a team - whether it was an obviously better quality side - also made a difference, but not as much as the altitude of the home stadium. In  a total of 125 matches played in each season of the Champions League and 205 in the Europa league. The study covered 2,025 matches in the time frame. 13 matches were excluded, which were played on neutral grounds.

EUFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL 16 AND ALTITUDE.

• Real Madrid - 2,257ft
• Bayern – 1,614ft
• Tottenham – 65ft
• Man City – 196ft
• Atalanta – 816ft
• Juventus - 849ft
• Atletico Madrid - 2175ft
• Liverpool – 216ft
• Napoli – 157ft
• Barcelona – 121ft
• Dortmund – 360ft
• rb Leipzig - 380ft
• Lyon – 561ft
• Valencia– 55ft
• Chelsea – 36ft
• They found that a home game alone increases the chance of winning by 18.3 percentage points over playing away. 
• For every 3,200ft increase in altitude between the home team and away team stadium, they found the home team would score an extra half a goal. 

• The largest altitude difference between the 16 clubs still in the Champions League this season is 2,221ft - between Real Madrid (2,257ft) and Chelsea (36ft). However, the two sides have never played one another in the Champions League so we can't say whether the study findings work in that instance.  

• An example of a home advantage playing out as predicted was the victory of Bayern over Tottenham when they last met in the Champions League in December 2019.  Bayern's stadium is 1,614ft above sea level, 1,549ft higher than Tottenham's stadium. In December the German side beat the English team 3-1 in Germany.

• However it doesn't always work as predicted by the study authors. The last time Real Madrid played PSG in the Champions League it was a 2-2 draw but Real Madrid's stadium is more than 2.100ft higher than the French side's Parc des Princes. Based on the study findings Real Madrid should have won by at least one goal. 

• Buxton Town's Prospect Stadium, an astro stadium, is at 997 feet asl; might make snow clearing easier??

  

• Canvey Island is the lowest club in the "sensible" pyramid, lying below sea level in the Thames Estuary. Founded in 1926, the club lost many valuable documents when the Thames and East Coast flooded in 1953. The club almost folded in the 50s, but was revitalised in the 1980s by local businessman and ex-player Jeff King, who took over as manager and then there was lift off, with a rise up the ladder to place in the Isthmian Division One,(so far).

  
  
  

• All this leads me on to remind myself that matches between Hartlepool United and Torquay Utd, Plymouth Argyule and Carlisle Utd, Blyth Spartan and Hereford have significant geographic differences too, not just related to altitude! Imagine the journey home after a thrashing !