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Publication
A systematic review of the physical, physiological, nutritional and anthropometric profiles of soccer referees
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Background The importance of soccer referees is widely accepted by international soccer organizations and gov erning bodies, although there is little research summarizing and appraising the literature on soccer referees. The aim
of this study was to systematically review the information related to physical demands, nutrition and physiological
profling of soccer referees.
Methods Conforming with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guide lines, searches of three electronic databases (Web of Sciences, PubMed and Scopus) were conducted on 24 April
2022. The following search terms were used: (Soccer OR football AND refer*) AND (physical OR physiolo* OR load*
OR “body composition” OR “fat mass” OR “fat free mass” OR “body size” OR “nutrition*” OR “nutritional assessment”
OR “nutritional intake” OR “macronutrient*” OR “micronutrient*”). The inclusion criteria of the manuscripts written
in English were that articles with male and/or female soccer referees and included relevant data concerning perfor mance, physical testing, nutrition, body composition, body size and/or physiology of soccer referees. The tools devel oped by the National Institute of Health were used to assess risk of bias according to the study design.
Results In total, 110 manuscripts were included in the present review. Match activities of soccer referees and assis tant referees are not comparable. Variation in performance is infuenced by competitive level and competitive sched ules. Additionally, match performance is often used to validate feld protocols. The associations between match indi cators and feld protocols were not constant across the included studies, particularly in short-maximal tests. An age
decline in physical performance was not conclusive. Body size did not discriminate between referees and assistant
referees, as well as referees of diferent competitive levels. Few studies focused on nutritional guidelines among refer ees, particularly exercise energy expenditure. Energy intake was comparable across studies, but referees did not follow
the daily dietary recommendations. Aerobic output was frequently assessed, and it was not comparable to the values
for soccer players.
Conclusions Although there are decreases in the running profles of older referees, they maintain the same dis tances from the ball, and thus, age per se should not be used to defne participation at the international level. The
assessment of physical ftness warrants future consideration given the levels of fatigue that are apparent at the end
of matches. In order to attain ideal levels of body composition, future studies need to provide guidelines for daily
energy expenditure and nutritional intake.
Description
Keywords
Match performance Physical tests Nutrition Body composition Referees . Faculdade de Ciências Sociais
Citation
Martinho, D. V., Field, A., Rebelo, A., Gouveia, É. R., & Sarmento, H. (2023). A systematic review of the physical, physiological, nutritional and anthropometric profiles of soccer referees. Sports Medicine-Open, 9(1), 72.
Publisher
Springer