The effect of an artificial pitch surface on home team performance in football (soccer)

Four teams in the four divisions of the English Football League have been playing their home matches on artificial pitch surfaces at certain times over the last 10 years or so. A Commission of Enquiry (Football League, 1989) recently recommended that the introduction of further artificial pitches be restricted. One of the factors leading to this recommendation was the possible advantage gained by the home team on such pitches. A statistical analysis of the end-of-season results for the four divisions over the last 10 years (carried out for the Football League) showed that there is indeed such an advantage and that it is of a sufficient scale to be a cause for concern.