HSE University and Football National League Sign Memorandum of Cooperation
On June 30, HSE University Rector Nikita Anisimov and Russian Football National League President Nail Izmaylov signed a cooperation and partnership memorandum aimed at developing and popularising Russian football.
‘HSE University has accumulated research competencies which will help to improve the domestic sports industry,’ noted Nikita Anisimov. ‘I am confident that our expertise will be useful to the Football National League not only in terms of sports analytics, but also in the analysis of economic effectiveness and in management, marketing, and design. We will be happy to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of Russian football and sport overall.’
The memorandum covers joint research in the fields of strategic and current management in Russian football. One area of focus will be the preparation of the match calendar for the Russian First League.
‘Our league always strives to develop in various fields, pursuing positive initiatives in the football sphere and improving existing structures,’ explained Nail Izmaylov, President of the Russian Football National League. ‘The memorandum of cooperation with HSE University is an extension of these trends. We are already working together to develop the match calendar for the First League. Undoubtedly, in the future this will allow us to improve our existing system and to create a calendar that is more convenient for everyone. We believe that our cooperation will result in interesting and fruitful projects.’
‘The use of mathematical methods when drawing up the calendar lets us factor in the large number of restrictions that affect the quality of competitions: climate restrictions, competitive balance, logistical requirements and more,’ said Dmitry Dagaev, Head of the Laboratory of Sports Studies of the HSE University Faculty of Economic Sciences. ‘The work to compile the calendar will be done by the Laboratory of Sports Studies, which already has experience drawing up calendars for the Russian Premier League and the Russian Cup.’
HSE University researchers have been involved in developing the calendar of the Russian Premier League since 2019. The laboratory also cooperates with the Russian Football Union, leading Russian football clubs, and other participants in the sports market. The laboratory’s staff publish papers in leading international sports economics journals, consult on matters of sports analytics, and offer their expertise to optimise sports tournaments.