Senter for idrettsskadeforskning

Beskrivelse

The football referee, assisted by two assistant referees, has to ensure that the players follow the laws of the game. In the FIFA statistics 2000, there were over 720,000 referees and assistant referees, of all levels, worldwide (417,000 in Europe). Male referees make up the majority (about 678,000), whilst female referees make up the (growing) minority (almost 42,000).

In the last 10 years, several studies have examined referee profiles, both physiological and anthropometric, as well as the movement patterns and physiological load experienced during actual match play. The match demands of football refereeing have been recently investigated in detail. Similar to the players, the referees show a mixed walking and running profile (low-, medium-, high-intensity) during the game.

Therefore high demands are put on the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system of the referees, who are on average 10-15 years older than their playing counterparts. But the referee exhibits several unique characteristics: he is older than the football players, he is rarely a full time professional, he doesn’t play the ball, and normally cannot be substituted during the match (exception: if an acute injury occur).

During a match, a referee may cover a mean distance of 11.5 km (range: 9-14). 16-17% of this distance is performed at high intensity, while sprinting may account for up to 12% of total match distance. 

Therefore a referee should be prepared for performing at high intensity (when needed) throughout the match. Elite referees may perform up to 1270 activity changes and undertake more than 130 decisions during a game: this indicates the high level of physiological and cognitive demands experienced by the referee.

One cannot obviously compare football players with referees, even in respect to injury. But considering the imposed demands, the referee is also exposed to a certain risk of injury during his game activities. Several epidemiological studies have focused on the football player, whereas there is a lack of knowledge on the injury profile of the football referee. There is no peer-reviewed publication on the injury profile of the football referee.

The main goals of the project were to analyze the injury profile of high-level and low- level football referees, and to analyze the incidence of acute and the prevalence of overuse injuries in football referees.

The following studies were realised:

Study 1

Design: retrospective, cross-sectional study

Study group: All Swiss elite referees and assistant referees (71) of the Swiss Super and Challenge League were enrolled in the study (Spring 2006).

Measurements: The referees answered a specific questionnaire concerning their experience in refereeing, medical history, previous injuries and current musculoskeletal complaints. In addition, they were interviewed by the investigator in order to establish or confirm potential diagnosis.

Study 2

Design: retrospective, cross-sectional study

Study group: A representative group (ca 500) of all registered Swiss referees (4600 at all levels of play, data from The Swiss Football Association) were surveyed (Summer 2006).

Measurements: The referees answered a set of questions related to their injury history and current musculoskeletal complaint using telephone interviews (conducted by a specialised institute).

Study 3

Design: retrospective and prospective, cross-sectional study

Study group: All 123 pre-selected referees and assistant referees for the 2006 FIFA World Cup were examined (Spring 2006). The 63 referees and assistant referees who officiated during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany (June 2006) were included in the prospective study.

Measurements: For the retrospective part, the same questionnaire as in Study 1 was implemented. During the World Cup, injuries and musculoskeletal complaints were documented prospectively.

Study 4

Design: retrospective and prospective, cross-sectional study

Study group: All 81 pre-selected female referees and assistant referees for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007 were examined (Spring 2007). The 36 referees and assistant referees who officiated during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007 in China (September 2007) were included in the prospective study.

Measurements: For the retrospective part, the same questionnaire as in Study 1 was implemented. During the World Cup, injuries and musculoskeletal complaints were documented prospectively.