The Comparison of Physical Capacities, In-Game Activity Profiles and Decision-Making Skills of Football Referees According to Their Experience Level

The aim of this study was to compare the physical capacities, in-game activity profiles and decision-making skills of experienced and less experienced football referees during the match. A total of 10 football referees, 5 experienced (>5 years) and 5 less experienced (<5 years) participated in this study voluntarily. As a result of statistical analysis; aerobic capacity of experienced referees (61.14±3.31 ml/kg/min) was significantly higher than the less-experienced referees (54.67±2.93 ml/kg/min.) (p<0.05). As compared with less-experienced referees (9.09±1.08 km), the total distance covered (10.73±.41 km) and sprint distance of experienced referees (experienced: 686.95±140.93 m, less-experienced: 459.85±168.37 m) were significantly higher in the match. There was no significant difference in the total decision scores in two football competitions between experienced and less experienced referees (184.80±21.25 and 193.40±26.12) (p>0.05). It was found that less-experienced referees made more incorrect decisions in the match than experienced referees (9.60±4.21 and 20.20±2.68) (p<0.05). Experienced referees had higher in-game activity profiles than less-experienced referees, and their incorrect decision making scores were lower. In addition, in order to minimize the incorrect decision scores of the experienced and especially less-experienced referees in the match, it is thought that it is important to include exercises related to perceptual-motor skills in their training programs as well as physical training.