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Videogames and their business models have evolved significantly over time, with consumers preferring a shift towards free-to-play (F2P) without any initial purchase, as evidenced in the popularity of Fortnite, Warzone and others. The aim of this research is to establish the viability of a switch from a buy-to-play (B2P) to a F2P model for the game Overwatch and the impact on its associated esports. The relevant literature within the subject area was identified. A framework was then developed to determine whether a switch to F2P would be successful for Overwatch, based on the criteria seen as significant within the literature identified. These criteria represent a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches, and a mix of styles, with some being more descriptive with biographical elements of the author’s experience, and others being more analytical. The main conclusion drawn from the analysis undertaken is that Overwatch would be well suited for a switch to F2P. The sequel to Overwatch, Overwatch 2, is due to release in the near future, which would have opened the possibility of Overwatch being free, while Overwatch 2 is paid. However, Overwatch 1 is confirmed to be shutting down completely. It is also concluded there would be a likely increase in player numbers, and that a switch to F2P is likely to improve the problematic esports scene associated with Overwatch.

Women’s football struggles to build a solid platform in terms of fan interest. However, while an increase in gate receipts can help assist its long-term sustainability, there is limited evidence in the academic literature on the factors influencing spectator demand in women’s football. The authors investigate determinants of stadium attendance for UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) matches. Using regression models deployed on 554 UWCL games played between 2009/10 and 2017/18, the authors examine contextual and sport-related variables as the main predictors of stadium attendance. Findings show that there is no continuous growth of attendance over the period examined, and highlight that spectators’ interest is positively associated with five factors: stage of the competition, uncertainty of match outcome, competitive intensity, away club’s reputation and weather conditions. Football governing bodies should put in place initiatives to ensure match outcome uncertainty is maintained as this represents a key determinant to maximise stadium attendance. Based on the specific context of European women’s football, recommendations to foster its development are discussed. These include incentivising investment into the elite women’s game and designing sport policies to encourage participation at grassroots levels.

Competitiveness of sporting contests is key to attract fan interest. However, limited research compared levels of competitiveness in men’s and women’s sports. This study focuses on the evolution of intra-match competitive balance (IMCB) and competitive intensity (IMCI) in the UEFA Men’s and Women’s Champions League (UMCL and UWCL). Data were initially collected for 3299 games over 2001–2019 (2314 in UMCL; 985 in UWCL) to analyse the evolution within and between each tournament. In addition, 989 matches played in UMCL over 1955–1973 were added to compare both competitions in their early stages. Results show a deterioration in IMCB and IMCI between 2001–2009 and 2009–2019 for the UMCL. Conversely, the UWCL benefitted from an increase in IMCB but not in IMCI, except for the final. The UWCL is still less competitive than the UMCL. This result holds true even when comparing the early stages of both competitions, i.e., replacing 2001–2019 by 1955–1973 for the UMCL. However, the UWCL has become closer to the UMCL in terms of IMCB and IMCI over time, a result linked to the development of women’s football. From a theoretical perspective, this article advances knowledge of IMCB and IMCI, appropriate for competitions with knockout stages. It underlines the role of the pool of players as an explanatory factor for the gap in competitiveness between European men’s and women’s football.

Despite an increasing interest from media and fans, one of the challenges women’s football currently faces is the lack of resources to sustain its growth at both grassroots and elite levels. To cope with this issue, National Associations (NAs) of various countries have recently formulated a policy demanding men’s football clubs to integrate a women’s team within their structure. Using the Multiple Streams Framework (Kingdon, 1984), this article examines the context, timing and conditions leading to the implementation of the policy of integration in three different countries: Brazil, China and Italy. The authors collected and analysed policy documents and media reports to identify factors influencing the policy formulation. Results indicate declining performances of senior women’s national team, low participation rates, external pressures from supranational football institutions and increased societal need to reduce gender disparities contribute to influence NAs’ engagement with policies for the development of women’s football. While potentially helping women’s football enhance its visibility and commercialisation, the policy of integration risks the women’s game continuing to be seen as subaltern to its men’s counterpart. Implications of the policy of integration for the long-term development of women’s football and its possible future scenarios are discussed.

Purpose Women’s football has received increasing attention in the academic literature, partly due to its growing popularity worldwide. However, women’s football research remains scattered across numerous academic domains. Focusing on the social sciences, humanities and management disciplines, the purpose of this paper is to map and organise contributions, and to identify research directions for future studies within these disciplines. Design/methodology/approach Using the keywords “women”, “girls”, “female” and “football” or “soccer” to initially identify articles, an integrative approach was followed to evaluate and analyse relevant literature. In all, 117 academic journals were classified and subsequently divided into 26 themes according to the subject area, topic and level examined. Findings Results of this integrative review show an increasing trend of journal publications since 1998, with a large representation of studies related to historical and sociological research, where qualitative methods are dominant. Articles investigating economic, managerial and marketing areas appeared in more recent times. Women’s football has been researched from different perspectives (players, fans, sport organisations) and across various countries. Research limitations/implications The restricted scope of this review (i.e. its focus on social sciences) and the manual classification of articles represent two limitations of this study. However, the synthesis of academic literature provided may assist scholars who are interested in women’s football and women’s sports research to fill identified research gaps and contribute to further advance academic investigations in this area. Originality/value This paper provides an overview of salient research avenues and represents the first attempt to critically appraise the direction of academic contributions in women’s football for the purpose of advancing scholarly inquiry in this sport.

While the global coronavirus crisis impacts society and the economy in a myriad of ways, it provides, what is likely to be, a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to rethink our response to climate change. According to the 2020 Global Risk Register, extreme weather and climate action failure are the two most likely and impactful risks to the global economy, which now more than ever needs to be avoided. Addressing the major challenges that we face from climate change can often appear to conflict with economic priorities. Add to this the fact that environmental mitigation steps can inadvertently exclude sections of the population and the enormity and complexity of climate change responses can result in paralysis. In contrast, the Stirling Protocol provides the framework for rapid, effective action and comprises three pillars: Environment, Economy & Inclusion. By addressing and balancing these three pillars, the simple protocol can be adopted throughout organisations putting the environment at the heart of sustainable prosperity and inclusion and provide a benchmark for positive action., Graphical abstract The three pillars of the Stirling Protocol that must be considered to put the environment at the heart of sustainable economic prosperity and inclusion.Unlabelled Image, Highlights • Addressing climate change can appear to conflict with economic priorities. • Environmental mitigation steps can inadvertently exclude sections of the population. • The Stirling Protocol will prompt decision makers to put the environment at the heart of inclusive economic decision making.

Acute toxic exposures in childhood are quite a frequent event in Paediatric Emergency Medicine. Despite that, there are few papers about clinical toxicology in children, at least in Italy. This paper is the first that takes into account both epidemiological aspects and clinical features of acute poisoning in children on a national basis. Collected data show the increased use of activated charcoal as a treatment and the use of the short stay observation unit as an appropriate answer to the real clinical situation, although some aspects are still controversial. It will be necessary to reconsider the whole matter widening the number of participating centres, so that the most controversial aspects may be clarified.