1. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Declan Gamble Sport Physiologist Sports Institute NI / University of Ulster Referee analysis using GPS tracking and heart rate monitoring

2. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 1.Why is fitness important for referees? 2.What training are referees currently doing? Intensity of the game is increasing Keep up with play Enhance performance Maintain concentration Delay the onset of fatigue

3. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 3.What type of fitness programmes do referees require? a)What type of movements does a referee perform? a)How much distance does a referee cover in a game? a)How many times does a referee sprint in a game?

4. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Ulster Minor Football Final 2004 Croke Park: Derry vs Tyrone Referee: Pauric Hughes (Ard Mhacha)

5. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Background to the study UK Sport technical team UK Sport technical team Athlete tracking system Athlete tracking system Based around GPS technology Based around GPS technology

6. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Declan Gamble Sport Scientist Sports Institute NI / University of Ulster

7. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Declan Gamble Sport Scientist Sports Institute NI / University of Ulster

8. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Background to the study UK Sport technical team UK Sport technical team Athlete tracking system Athlete tracking system Based around GPS technology Based around GPS technology Ulster Council approval Ulster Council approval Referee kindly agreed Referee kindly agreed

9. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Set-up and limitations Referee had to wear unit Referee had to wear unit 11cm x 5cm x 3cm 11cm x 5cm x 3cm Clear sky Clear sky Battery life of 2 hrs Battery life of 2 hrs Not waterproof Not waterproof

10. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Performance data Speed Speed Distance Distance Heart rate Heart rate Position Position Altitude Altitude

11. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Analysis of referee movement patterns

12. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Different movements

13. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Make decisions

14. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 V –cut high intensity running

15. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 GPS and heart rate results

16. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004

19. GPSports Analysis

20. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Summary of results The referee….. a)Exercised at an average heart rate of ~ 164 bpm, b)Covered a total distance of ~ 8.2 km, and c)Performed ~ 80 sprints, lasting from 1-10 sec.

21. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 What type of training/fitness programme? Training programmes need to….. 1.Reflect the physical demands of refereeing, and 2.Be specific to the movements patterns performed during games.

22. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 How? 1)Refereeing games represents the best training stimulus for referees! Alternatively, include; 2)‘Fartlek’ running, 3)Intermittent shuttle running, or 4)Interval sets.

23. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Conclusion Refereeing imposes significant physical demands on referees. These physical demands are probably not being met by ‘traditional training’ practices. Training programmes need to be designed to simulate the physical demands of games.

24. Ulster Council Coaching and Games Development Symposium 2004 Questions?