Physical demands and physiological response of soccer referees in high-level matches: A systematic review.
<h4>Background</h4>The match physical demands placed on soccer referees are intrinsically connected to their capacity to make accurate judgments, becoming the second most studied theme in associate soccer refereeing.<h4>Objective</h4>This study aims to review the external and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315403 |
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| author | Lingling Zhang Soh Kim Geok Mohd Rozilee Wazir Norjali Wazir Liang Qin |
| author_facet | Lingling Zhang Soh Kim Geok Mohd Rozilee Wazir Norjali Wazir Liang Qin |
| author_sort | Lingling Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>The match physical demands placed on soccer referees are intrinsically connected to their capacity to make accurate judgments, becoming the second most studied theme in associate soccer refereeing.<h4>Objective</h4>This study aims to review the external and internal load performed by soccer referees in high-level competitions, to identify changes in these indicators over different periods as the competition progresses, and to analyze the standards for dividing speed zones and heart rate zones.<h4>Methods</h4>Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCOhost were thoroughly searched. Grey literature sources and Google Scholar were also consulted, with a focus on analysing and comparing the physical demands of soccer referees at different phases of high-level matches.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 14 manuscripts were included in this review. Studies revealed that the total distance (TD) covered by referees during a full match ranged from 9 to 12 km. High-intensity running (HIR) constituted 2.0-18.7% of TD, accounting for approximately 38% of total time (TT). Referees reached 80-100% of their maximal heart rate during matches. The standards for dividing speed zones and heart rate zones varied among the selected studies.<h4>Discussion</h4>This systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of referees' physical demands (e.g., TD, HIR, and HR) to offer practitioners valuable biological data for training and competition preparation. The lack of uniform criteria for dividing speed and heart rate zones limits data collection, thereby affecting the reporting of distances covered at different exercise intensities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c9b8628ce85f450a9f2206caa912ae12 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-c9b8628ce85f450a9f2206caa912ae122025-02-05T05:32:11ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01201e031540310.1371/journal.pone.0315403Physical demands and physiological response of soccer referees in high-level matches: A systematic review.Lingling ZhangSoh Kim GeokMohd Rozilee Wazir Norjali WazirLiang Qin<h4>Background</h4>The match physical demands placed on soccer referees are intrinsically connected to their capacity to make accurate judgments, becoming the second most studied theme in associate soccer refereeing.<h4>Objective</h4>This study aims to review the external and internal load performed by soccer referees in high-level competitions, to identify changes in these indicators over different periods as the competition progresses, and to analyze the standards for dividing speed zones and heart rate zones.<h4>Methods</h4>Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCOhost were thoroughly searched. Grey literature sources and Google Scholar were also consulted, with a focus on analysing and comparing the physical demands of soccer referees at different phases of high-level matches.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 14 manuscripts were included in this review. Studies revealed that the total distance (TD) covered by referees during a full match ranged from 9 to 12 km. High-intensity running (HIR) constituted 2.0-18.7% of TD, accounting for approximately 38% of total time (TT). Referees reached 80-100% of their maximal heart rate during matches. The standards for dividing speed zones and heart rate zones varied among the selected studies.<h4>Discussion</h4>This systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of referees' physical demands (e.g., TD, HIR, and HR) to offer practitioners valuable biological data for training and competition preparation. The lack of uniform criteria for dividing speed and heart rate zones limits data collection, thereby affecting the reporting of distances covered at different exercise intensities.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315403 |
| spellingShingle | Lingling Zhang Soh Kim Geok Mohd Rozilee Wazir Norjali Wazir Liang Qin Physical demands and physiological response of soccer referees in high-level matches: A systematic review. PLoS ONE |
| title | Physical demands and physiological response of soccer referees in high-level matches: A systematic review. |
| title_full | Physical demands and physiological response of soccer referees in high-level matches: A systematic review. |
| title_fullStr | Physical demands and physiological response of soccer referees in high-level matches: A systematic review. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Physical demands and physiological response of soccer referees in high-level matches: A systematic review. |
| title_short | Physical demands and physiological response of soccer referees in high-level matches: A systematic review. |
| title_sort | physical demands and physiological response of soccer referees in high level matches a systematic review |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315403 |
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