No novelty effect but a honeymoon that lasts: On the attendance effects of new football stadiums

Abstract

In US-based studies focusing on the impact of new sports stadiums on attendance, a recurring observation is the temporary nature of the initial positive effect, commonly described as a novelty or honeymoon effect. This paper revisits the attendance effects of new sports stadiums in a European sports league, i.e. the top tier of Dutch professional football. Analyzing data over a period of three decades the main conclusion is that for many new stadiums the positive attendance effect persists. There is no transient novelty effect but a long-lasting positive attendance effect of new football stadiums.