title: Assessment of decision-making performance and in-game physical exertion of Australian football umpires.
abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of in-game physical exertion on decision-making performance of Australian football umpires. Fifteen Australian football umpires (Mage = 36, s = 13.5 years; Mgames umpired = 235.2, s = 151.3) volunteered to participate in the study. During five competitive Australian football pre-season games, measures of in-game physical exertion (blood lactate levels, global positioning system [GPS]) and decision-making performance (video-based test) were obtained. There were no significant correlations between physical exertion in a particular quarter and decision-making performance in either the same quarter or any other quarter. Video-based decision-making performance was effected by time in game χ(2)(3) = 24.24, P = 0.001, with Quarter 4 performance significantly better than both Quarter 2 and Quarter 3. In-game physical exertion (blood lactate) significantly decreased over the course of the game χ(2)(3) = 11.58, P = 0.009. Results indicate no definable link between in-game physical exertion and decision-making performance. It is, however, presumed that decision-making performance may be affected by the time or context of the game. Future research is warranted to explore the relationship between physical exertion and decision-making performance to potentially inform Australian football umpire training programmes that replicate in-game physical and decision-making demands.
authors.affiliation: a School of Health Sciences , Federation University Australia (formerly University of Ballarat) , Ballarat , Australia.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Larkin
authors.forename: Brendan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mesagno
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spittle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology; D001315:Australia; D003657:Decision Making; D005538:Football; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005082:Physical Exertion; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D012916:Soccer / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: decision-making; perceptual-cognitive; physical performance; sport officials; sport physiology