Current Students and Staff

// University News

9 May 2016

Loughborough scientists crack the code for football fan excitement

Image: Pixabay

Loughborough has joined forces with Nissan to identify a formula that reveals what gets fans so excited about football.

The Nissan Excitement Index aims to explore and understand the science behind football fans’ excitement by analysing data gathered through physiological reactions of football fans watching UEFA Champions League matches.

Based on these reactions academics from the University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences have developed a formula – the Nissan Excitement Index.

Nissan and Loughborough University have been conducting live ‘excitement experiments’ on pairs of football fans in the stands during six UEFA Champions League matches. Fans were fitted with wearable technology to monitor and gather a combined index of data, including: heart rate, breathing rate and electro-dermal activity, in order to examine the physiological effect excitement has on them.

Loughborough combined these data with official match statistics from Opta in order to develop the formula at the heart of the Nissan Excitement Index.

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