title: Activity profile of top-class female soccer refereeing in relation to the position of the ball.
abstract: The aim of this study was to describe the activity profile of top-class female soccer referees during competition and to relate it to the position of the ball. Ten matches from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) under-20 female World Championships held in Russia in 2006 were filmed and the kinematical parameters of the female referees (n=10) and the ball were determined using a two-dimensional photogrammetric video system based on direct linear transformation (DLT) algorithms. Total distance covered during a match was 10 km, of which 1.3 km represented high-intensity activities (>13 km/h). The referees' highest mobility was achieved in the initial 15 min of the match, covering greater distance and performing more intense exercise (P<0.01) than in the final 15-min of the game. Mean distance from the referee to the ball was 19.5+/-2.4m, with no significant differences between 15 min match periods. The results of this study show that: (1) the physical demands placed on top-class female referees are much like those experienced during male moderate-standard refereeing and (2) the referees were able to maintain the distance from the ball throughout the match.
authors.affiliation: Sports Biomechanics Laboratory, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science, Politechnical University of Madrid, Spain. javier.mallo@upm.es
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mallo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Veiga
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: López de Subijana
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Navarro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology; D012426:Russia; D012916:Soccer / Q000502:physiology*; D014741:Video Recording; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology