Temporal Changes and Between-Competition Differences in the Activity Profile of Elite Hurling Referees

Background/Objectives: This study examined the activity profile of elite hurling referees during games in the National Hurling League (NHL) and All-Ireland Championship (AIC) and across all divisions of the NHL and phases of the AIC. Temporal changes between the first and second half and across the four quarters were also examined. Methods: Data were collected from 36 referees using 10-Hz global positioning system technology during 106 NHL and 85 AIC games and analyzed for duration, total distance, very low-speed movement (<0.69 m·s^-1), walking (≥0.69-1.59 m·s^-1), low-speed running (≥1.60-3.08 m·s^-1), moderate-speed running (≥3.09-4.62 m·s^-1), high-speed running (HSR) (≥4.63-6.34 m·s^-1), and very high-speed running (VHSR) (≥6.35 m·s^-1) distance and peak running speed. Results: Total distance was not significantly different between games in the NHL (120.7 ± 9.4 m·min^-1) and AIC (122.8 ± 9.9 m·min^-1, ES = 0.04). There was also no significant difference in HSR distance between the NHL (17.1 ± 6.5 m·min^-1) and AIC (18.0 ± 7.2 m·min^-1, ES = 0.10). The only significant difference between the NHL and AIC was in LSR distance, which was higher in the AIC (ES = 0.24). VHSR distance was significantly higher during games in Division 3A+3B (0.7 ± 0.8 m·min^-1) compared to Division 1A+1B (0.2 ± 0.3 m·min^-1) and Division 2A+2B (0.1 ± 0.3 m·min^-1). HSR distance was significantly lower during games in the All-Ireland Series (15.7 ± 6.7 m·min^-1) compared to games in the Leinster (21.1 ± 8.5 m·min^-1) and Munster (17.9 ± 5.4 m·min^-1) Championships. Conclusions: The findings of this study can be used to support the development of physical conditioning programs that are specific to the demands experienced during competitive match play.