This paper introduces a model to investigate the effects of team composition and demographic effects on team performance in professional league football. The results of the 2001-2002 season of 80 clubs, spread over the two top professional divisions of England and the Netherlands are compared on the teams' composition where age, tenure and nationality are concerned. Findings are mixed: for some variables (average tenure, national diversity) evidence is quite strong that a positive relationship exists. For others, results are unclear or statistically insignificant. One unexpected finding is a contingency effect of a club's presence in a certain division; apparently this influences the relationships between the other independent variables and team performance. The reader will first be introduced to the existing literature on team composition and performance from the traditional business environment. Then the comparison between these businesses and professional football clubs will be made and a summary of existing (research) literature on the subject of professional sports in general is provided. After the construction and testing of ten hypotheses concerning this subject, the final chapter is used to draw conclusions from the results of the statistical analyses as well as to give recommendations for further research on this subject.
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