The Effect of League Design on Spectator Attendance: A Regression Discontinuity Design Approach

This paper exploits a sharp regression discontinuity design to identify the causal impact of Scottish Premiership League (SPL) “split” on spectator match attendance. We use data drawn from all 19 completed seasons for which this institutional arrangement has been in place. The effect is induce, last five rounds games played season, differential average attendance about 24% between clubs that just qualify “Championship Play-off” section and those do not. However, annualized season found be modest.