Referee! It is getting hot in here, can we get a break?

  • Mathieu Leng (Student)

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

The sports industry is one of the most important industries in the world. In 2023 only, it generated globally more than $512.14 billion in revenue (Kiko 2023). For Spain more specifically, during the 2021-22 season, professional football generated 8.39 €billion in taxes, contributing to 1.44% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Extreme heat is one of the consequences of climate change and has a big impact on the sports and football industries. In this study, we address the situation in Spanish male football first division (LaLiga) regarding heat stress exposure for the past two decades and the coming two decades. For both periods, we calculate the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and evaluate the heat stress categories, as well as the policies that should be taken. We also evaluate the situation across hours, months, and different locations grouped by similar climatic data by using the K-median algorithm. The two periods are compared to one another to estimate the evolution. To conclude the analysis, the optimal schedule with the least overlapping and the smallest heat stress is calculated. By using ERA5 and CORDEX data, we observe that LaLiga was exposed 15.5% to strong heat stress conditions and 2.6% to very strong heat stress conditions over the past two decades. In the future, it could increase between 16% and 17.7%, and 2.8% up to 4%, depending on human emission scenarios. It is shown that schedule optimization can significantly reduce heat stress exposure by up to 5%.
Date of Award24 Jan 2024
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorMiguel de Oliveiros Vieira de Albergaria e Castro Nogueira (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Alterações climáticas
  • Calor extremo
  • Futebol profissional
  • Espanha
  • Índice universal de clima térmico (UTCI)
  • Indústria desportiva

Designation

  • Mestrado em Análise de Dados para Gestão

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