What Economists Need to Know About Diversity Research in Association Football: Results of a Systematic Review

Abstract

This paper offers a systematic review of published articles on diversity research in adult male association football (soccer) and identify and organize common research topics, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Relevant databases were searched for published studies using the following keywords: ‘football’ and ‘soccer’, and each one associated with the terms ´diversity´, ´team composition´, ´multinational´, ´team heterogeneity´ ´comp*´ and ´heter*´. In this review, novel variables were identified that should be in sharper focus for researchers. A challenge for researchers is to align these new topics with the needs of coaches and managers to produce practical and usable information that improves team performance.