Relationships Between Internal and External Match-Load Indicators in Soccer Match Officials

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Physiology
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Soccer refereeing involves complex physical demands.
• Quantifying match loads (ML) is crucial for performance and injury prevention.
• Understanding internal and external ML provides a comprehensive view of referee exertion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe internal and external match loads (ML) in soccer referees.
• To investigate relationships between different ML quantification methods.
• To examine the utility of differential perceived exertion (dRPE) for monitoring internal ML.

Main Methods:

• Collected data on internal (TRIMP_EDW) and external (distance, player load) ML.
• Measured differentiated ratings of perceived respiratory (sRPE_res) and leg-muscle (sRPE_mus) exertion.
• Analyzed data from 20 field referees (FRs) and 43 assistant referees (ARs) across 30 matches.

Main Results:

• FRs exhibited significantly higher internal and external ML compared to ARs.
• Relationships between internal and external ML were generally weak for FRs and small to moderate for ARs.
• Substantial differences were observed between sRPE_res and sRPE_mus scores in both FRs and ARs.

Conclusions:

• Soccer refereeing presents multifaceted physiological demands requiring monitoring of both internal and external ML.
• dRPE effectively captures distinct dimensions of effort, proving valuable for monitoring referee ML.
• These findings underscore the importance of tailored training and monitoring strategies for soccer referees.