Home advantage in matches of the top Polish men’s handball league in the seasons before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Study aim: The aim of the study was to determine whether there are differences in performance analysis in high-sport handball matches between Pre-COVID-19, during COVID-19, and Post-COVID-19 seasons in the home and away matches.

Material and methods: The study material was obtained from the official match statistics of male PGNiG Superleague Ltd. (493 matches). The study included the 2019/2020 (before), 2020/2021 (during), and the 2021/2022 (after) season. Statistical tests were used: the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test.

Results: The COVID-19 pandemic period affected the reduction of home advantage during handball matches. The venue was a differentiating factor in selected handball team activities in the Pre-COVID-19 season, while there were no differences between home and away matches in the COVID-19 and Post-COVID-19 seasons. The away matches in the Pre-COVID-19 season were characterized by more throws from 9m and lower goals and throws from 6m than in the Post-COVID-19 season, indicating recent trends in handball play.

Conclusion: The home advantage associated with playing home matches in terms of the Pre-COVID-19 season and between seasons occurs mainly in the first round of play. Further studies focusing on performance analysis in handball depending on the outcome of the match (win, lose) and the venue (home, away) should be conducted.