https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7875-0969
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Abstract
Competitive balance (CB) remains a core component of sport economics literature and an important management consideration for league organisers. This paper analyses CB in the ‘big five’ Asian football leagues longitudinally between 1996/97 and 2017/18. Using recognised measures of league concentration and dominance, the results display a mixed picture in respect of CB across the five major leagues in Asian football. The Asian football market has seen positive growth during the last two decades while CB in most of the leagues examined has remained relatively stable. Some significant differences were detected in the levels of concentration between leagues. There was also some variation in terms of some leagues being dominated by a fewer number of teams. However, these two measures of CB (concentration and dominance) were not necessarily correlated with each other. In a broader governance context, questions remain over the potential for further growth in the Asian football market given the dominant market position of the European game.
崛起的新星：五大亚洲足球联赛的竞争平衡
竞争平衡如今仍然是体育经济学文献中的核心组成部分, 也是联赛组织者们在管理上的重要考量因素。本文对1996/97年至2017/18年期间 ‘五大’ 亚洲足球联赛的竞争平衡进行了纵向分析。研究采取了公认的联赛集中性和主导性作为衡量标准, 结果显示亚洲足球五大联赛的竞争性平衡情况喜忧参半。在过去二十年间, 亚洲足球市场呈现出积极发展的态势, 而大多数被考察联赛的竞争平衡也保持相对稳定的状态。然而, 不同联赛在集中性水平上却存在一些显著的差异。与此同时, 在联赛的发展过程中也出现了一些新的变化, 比如在一些联赛中, 存在被少数球队主导的现象。然而, 这两个衡量竞争平衡的标准（集中性和主导性）并不一定相互关联。在更广泛的市场管理背景下, 鉴于欧洲冠军联赛占足球市场的主导地位, 亚洲足球市场的进一步发展潜力仍有待探究。
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Daniel Plumley
Daniel Plumley (PhD, Sheffield Hallam University) is a senior lecturer in Sport Finance Daniel. Plumley is a Senior Lecturer in Sport Finance at Sheffield Hallam University. His PhD analysed holistic performance measurement in professional team sports and how financial and sporting indicators impact on club performance. His research interests include performance measurement in professional team sports, the economics and finance of professional team sports and competitive balance in team sports and he has published numerous research articles in these areas.
Sarthak Mondal
Sarthak Mondal (Student at Sheffield Hallam University) is a student of Sport Business Management at Sheffield Hallam University. His research interests include competitive balance in team sports and governance in Asian team sports with a focus on Indian professional football.
Rob Wilson
Rob Wilson (PhD, Sheffield Hallam University) is a principal lecturer in Sport Business Management. Rob Wilson is Head of Department for Finance, Accounting and Business Systems at Sheffield Hallam University. He has published three books; ‘Finance for sport and leisure managers: An introduction’, ‘Managing Sport Finance’ and ‘Sport Management; The Basics’; numerous chapters on finance and financial management in sport and a number of peer reviewed research articles that examine the financial health of professional team sports and leagues. Rob recently Guest Edited a Special Issue of Sport, Business and Management; An International Journal that focussed on the achievement of multiple performance objectives in professional team sport.
Girish Ramchandani
Girish Ramchandani (PhD, Sheffield Hallam University) is a reader in Sport Management Girish Ramchandani is a Reader in Sport Management at Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre. He has published several original research articles that investigate performance issues in professional football leagues as well as multi-sport events. Girish also has a keen interest in evaluating the economic and social impacts of major sports events. In 2014, he was awarded a PhD on the basis of his published works on the economic, sport development and elite performance outcomes of sports events.