The referee is critical for soccer. Without the referee, soccer would not be a sport. Although critical for the game, referee’s are usually not liked. Referees are an authority figure that is seen as a common enemy. It’s not easy being a referee. This article goes into how to become an elite referee.
14 Facts About Referee’s
- Referees move up to 12 km per match, the same as a soccer players
- In 2006, there were 840,000 registered referees, of which 10 % were women
- During a match, a referee operates at 86% of maximum heart rate
- The assistant referee moves about 5-6 km per match
- The referee runs at high intensity about 34% of the time
- when judging fouls, referees may be influenced by crowd noise (Nevill et al., 2002) or by the home-field advantage (Boyko et al., 2007)
- only 55.7% of the time referees give a red card to a verbal offence
- the greater the score difference between teams, the less extra time is added by the referee
- In close games, referees tend to add more time for a higher level team when they are behind and add less time when they are ahead
- The referee gives about 1 card (yellow or red) for every 10 fouls
- There is less backwards and sideway movement for the referee during the second half.
- Referees sanctioned sliding‐in tackles more often than other tackles
- Referees make about 137 decisions in a match
- The average age for male elite referee is 37 years, while for women its 33 years old
Why You Need Physical Attributes
Below is a profile of elite male and female referees.
Being a referee is all about making decisions and enforcing the rules of the game. Making decisions and enforcing rules can only come about when you keep your head cool. Keeping your head cool allows you to be a better referee. To keep your head cool, you need conditioning, a lot of conditioning. Below is the difference between the referees and the assistant referees with regards to maximal heart rate. Notice the huge difference between the referee and the assistant referee.
Toughness Is More Important Than Being Smart
Although the data is minimal, some studies show that referees are quite intelligent. A greek study found that the average IQ was 112, above the average. Although intelligence is important there is one factor that both elite referees and soccer players have. That factor is mental toughness. One study found that
Mental toughness is comprised of 7 elements. Master these 7 elements and you can become an elite referee. From most important to least important, these include;
- coping with pressure
- resilience
- robust self-belief
- tough attitude
- achievement striving
- high work-ethic
- sport intelligence
Errors And Physical Conditioning
Below is the difference between the referee’s making decisions before and after a physical test. The number of errors and reaction time is increased after the physical test. This means that when a referee is in an optimal physical state, it may make fewer errors and better reaction time.
How Much Water Does A Referee Lose
Like the playing athletes on the pitch, the referee loses a lot of water. A decrease in water can lessen vision, alertness, and mood. All 3 states can affect referees dramatically.
Blurred Vision For More Focus
See the normal footage below versus the blurred footage. One study showed both the blurred and normal footage to referee and let the referees judge whether the actions were committing fouls. After the judgments were researched it was found that referees were judging better with the blurred vision. Scientists reasoned that removing superficial visual information can make you an elite referee.
How Do Elite Referees Train
Elite Referees train about 3-4 times a week. Training sessions consist of aerobic exercise, sprints, change directions and jumps. Elite referees train mostly in 70% of the maximal heart rate region. This segment of training you can achieve by any type of exercise in which you have difficulty breathing while exercising. Sprints should be included to stay near the ball during a match.
Even though referees perform a non-contact job, they have a high injury rate. The injury rate for male referees is 20 injuries per 1000 match hours per match hours, while for women referees its 34 injuries per 1000 match hours. In comparison, soccer players with all its contact activities, turns, jumps and runs have a 58 injury per 1000 match hours rate.
How To Eat Like An Elite Referee
Carbohydrates
Scientist recommends that the referee eat at least 4-6 grams of carbohydrate per body mass in KG. For a 70 kg referee, this will amount between 280 and 420 grams of carbohydrate. For intensive training days, this might even be more. 3 hours before a match, a referee could consume 140 grams of carbohydrate. Carbohydrate builds of glycogen, people with high glycogen stores make better decisions. One study found that;
Protein & Fat
Protein intake is usually well within range and is not necessary to supplement. For referees it is recommended to keep the intake between 1.2 and 1.7 grams per kg bodyweight. For a referee of about 70 kg, this means about between 84 and 119 grams of protein per day. Fats contain a lot of calories per gram and should be about 20-30% of the diet.
Supplements For Referees
A recent study found that 2/3 of female referees had low levels of vitamin D. Furthermore, iron supplements could be helpful, especially for women. Low amounts of caffeine (3-6 mg/kg BM) are known to improve cognitive abilities under physical training.
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