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Physical and decision-making demands of Australian football umpires during competitive matches
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Physical and decision-making demands of Australian football umpires during competitive matches

N. Elsworthy, D. Burke, B.R. Scott, C.J. Stevens and B.J. Dascombe
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol.28(12), pp.3502-3507
2014
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000567
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Abstract

This study examined the physical and decision-making requirements of elite Australian football (AF) umpires during match play. Twenty-nine field umpires were assessed across 20 AF League matches. Physical demands were monitored using global positioning system devices to record the total distance covered and high-speed running (HSR; >14.4 km·h-1) demands across each quarter. Decision-making performance was assessed through video by 3 elite umpire coaches who reviewed free-kick accuracy during each match. These data were further analyzed according to the position (mid-zone or end-zone) of the umpire when each decision was made. The average distance covered was 10,563 ± 608 m, of which 1,952 ± 494 m was HSR. Significant reductions in distance covered were observed during the third (p = 0.006) and fourth (p = 0.001) quarters, compared with the first. An average of 44 ± 8 free kicks awarded per match with a decision accuracy of 84 ± 6%; however, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in these measures across a match. Significantly (p <= 0.05) higher physical (HSR; relative distance) and decision-making requirements were observed within the mid-zone. The current data quantify the physical and decision-making demands of AF umpiring and demonstrated that despite a high physical workload, free-kick accuracy is maintained across a match. This suggests that decision making may not be directly compromised by the intermittent running demands of AF umpires. Positional rotations between the mid-zone and end-zone position allow for the demands to be shared among all field umpires during a match.

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Citation topics
1 Clinical & Life Sciences
1.172 Sports Science
1.172.414 Training Optimization
Web Of Science research areas
Sport Sciences
ESI research areas
Clinical Medicine
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