Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study aimed to 1) describe running outputs during official match-play in elite French female Field (FR) and Assistant Referees (AR), 2) determine whether decrements in outputs occurred in the 2 nd -half and during the final 15-minute interval of each half.A total of 13 elite female game officials participated: 6 AR (age: 28.9 ± 5.1) and 7 FR (age: 28.1 ± 2.0).Outputs were collected using GPS over 3 consecutive seasons (2020/21-2022/23).Competitions included elite senior female/male domestic matches and international female/ male youth & senior matches (n = 501; AR = 285, FR = 216).Variables included: total distance covered (km), distances travelled (m) at low-(< 13 km/h) and high-speeds (≥ 13 km/h, ≥ 19 km/h, ≥ 23 km/h) and the frequency of high-intensity acceleration & deceleration events (≥ 3 m • s -2 ).Mean outputs per minute were compared across match halves and for the first 15-minute versus the final 15-minute interval in each half using Effect Sizes (ES).Main results showed that FR covered approximately 9.5 km per game of which 24% was at high-speeds (D ≥ 13 km/h) while AR travelled ~5 km (~14% ran at high-speeds).More high-intensity deceleration versus acceleration events were observed for both roles.Outputs generally dropped in the 2 nd versus the 1 st half (FR = small to moderate and AR = small to large ES) and during the final 15-minute intervals in each half versus the first 15-minutes in the 1 st -half (FR = moderate to large and AR = small to large ES).This study has established general match running activity profiles for elite French assistant and field referees and reported a trend for a temporal decline in outputs whilst demonstrating the importance of performing deceleration events.
Source: Biology of Sport
Authors: Christopher Carling, Franck Doudet, Batiste Gruson, Jean-Michel Prat, Thomas Pavillon
Language: English
Subfield: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $480
OpenAlex ID: W4408805533