Armand, AlexMoreira, Bruno2023-12-142023-12-142022-12-152022-12-15http://hdl.handle.net/10362/161264Using the unique circumstances provided by the COVID-19 pandemic, I investigate the effects of fan absence in stadiums on the performance of different football player groups in England. During the 2019/20 season, most non-British Isles player groups perform worse without fans. In the following two seasons, I find evidence of a reduced home advantage in ghost games and proof that English players perform significantly better without fans, especially in away games. Regarding the latter, further investigation suggests that, specifically players that are not former academy players of their team perform better without fans than those who played for their current team at the youth level.engFixed effectsCOVID-19FootballPerformancemaster thesis203311868