Human Resource Management in Sports

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Life Experiences of Iranian Elite Football Referees; a Reflection on Challenges and Requirement of Refereeing Profession

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Sport management, Department of Motor Behavior & Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Isfahan

2 PhD Student of Sport management, Department of Sport Management, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili

3 MA in physical education, Education organization of Ilam,

Abstract

Objective: Referees are one of the most important human resources of federations and provincial delegations, whose professional development and growth will require spending time, money, and energy for them and organization. The purpose of this research work was to reflect on the challenges and requirements of the refereeing profession based on the life experiences of Iranian elite football referees.
Methodology: The research method was qualitative and based on the phenomenological approach. The participants were 10 football referees of national and 1st level. The research tool was unstructured in-depth interviews. The duration of each interview was between 20 and 60 minutes. The process of completing the interviews continued until theoretical saturation was reached. We used strategies such as respondent validation, transferability, and peer review to validate the research process.
Results: The findings showed that background factors, judgment skills, professional growth and moral values were subjects related to requirements. Also the referees' challenges were explained in three categories: challenges related to judgment, challenges related to the organization, and personal challenges.
Conclusion: The findings of this research show that football referees have challenges and sufferings that can lead to consequences (e.g. burnout, leaving the profession, physical and mental injuries, etc.). By knowing the requirements of refereeing (e.g. physical fitness, mental and psychological readiness, communication skills, etc.), it is possible to plan for the empowerment of referees in order to witness the high quality of judging and attractiveness in the games.

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Human Resource Management in Sports
Volume 10, Issue 2
July 2023
Pages 287-305
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