Accelerations and high intensity running in field and assistant football referees during match play

ABSTRACT

Objectives: (1) to examine accelerations and high intensity running (HIR) in football field referees (FR) and assistant referees (AR) during football matches and (2) to evaluate fluctuations in accelerations and HIR between first and second half and in 5-min periods.

Methods: All movements of the referees were measured using a radio-based tracking system during 41 matches in the Norwegian top and second league during the 2015 and the 2016 seasons. Movements were classified into accelerations (≥2 m · s^–2) and HIR (≥19.8 km · h^–1).

Results: AR performed 86% more accelerations than FR (158 (147–169) vs. 85 (76–94), P < 0.001, d = 1.9), and FR performed 171% longer HIR distance than AR (619 (534–703) m vs. 228 (208–248), P < 0.001, d = 2.7). When divided into 5-min periods, the number of accelerations (P < 0.001) and acceleration distance (P < 0.001) were reduced towards the end of both halves in AR. However, in the 5-min subsequent to the most intense 5-min period of the match, both FR and AR performed accelerations and HIR (n and m) equal to the 5-min mean (P > 0.35).

Conclusions: As the running performance of FR and AR are substantially different, training recommendations for AR should include more accelerations while FR should focus on HIR and endurance training.

KEYWORDS:

• Match analysis
• intermittent exercise
• fluctuations
• soccer

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Professor Jon Ingulf Medbø for statistical guidance, and Terje Ness Kjøsnes, Yngve Håkonsen, Helge Haugen and Sogndal Fotball for their help and support in the project. We sincerely thank the referees for participating and the head of referees in the Norwegian football association Terje Hauge for endorsing the project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The project received no external funding.