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Although the home advantage in sport competitions has been consistently documented in over twenty years of research, factors that contribute to the home advantage have seldom been investigated. Courneya and Carron (1992) have proposed a framework for game location research, however, the game location factors identified in this model were based on the results of archival research and have not been validated with research involving participants who are presumed to be influenced by such factors. The purpose of the present study was to examine intercollegiate basketball players' perceptions of (a) game location factors they believed influenced their team's performance, (b) the influence that game location factors in Courneya and Carron's (1992) model had on their team's performance, and (c) their team's collective efficacy (Bandura, 1997) when playing at home compared to away. Athletes reported familiarity with the home court, the home crowd, and travel demands were important game location factors. Familiarity with the home court and home crowd support were perceived to have had the greatest influence on team performance. Collective efficacy of teams was also perceived to be greater when playing at home compared to away. Results provided support for the validity of game location factors identified in Courneya and Carron's (1992) model and suggest that collective efficacy is among the critical psychological states that may be influenced by game location.
In the sport environment, it has been consistently demonstrated that a home advantage exists in major team sports (cf. Courneya & Carron, 1992). Specifically, home winning percentages in professional and collegiate leagues have exceeded the 50% that would be predicted by chance when playing balanced home and away schedules. For example, Schwartz and Barsky (1977) found a 66% home advantage in the National Hockey League and a 67% advantage in the National Basketball Association. Also, home advantages of 55% and 53% have been found in the National Football League and Major League Baseball respectively (Pollard, 1986). At the college level, Silva and Andrew ( 1987) found a 70% home advantage in National Collegiate Athletic Association (N.C.A.A.) basketball and Courneya (1990) reported a 62% home winning percentage in N.C.A.A. baseball.
In a framework of game location research, Courneya and Carron ( 1992) presented four game location factors which were identified as possible contributors...