Abstract

This study explored home atmosphere in English professional football from the supporters’ perspective (n=442). Features of the stadium and aspects of match attendance were ranked for importance to atmosphere via a web survey. Noise and crowd size were the most important, followed by history with an opponent, and feeling connected to other supporters. Opponents’ league standing, a measure of social comparison, was more important than the location of away fans, proximity to the pitch, or overall stadium size. Results suggested home atmosphere was a combination of both social aspects of match attendance and stadium features embedded with a social context. These findings provide a starting point for future research to refine the construct of home atmosphere in English professional football.