The game management framework for sports refereeing: a structured perspective on officiating performance and its development

Abstract

The Game Management Framework for Sports Refereeing (GMFSR) provides a comprehensive and novel approach to understanding the performance of on-field interactor referees in competitive sports. It highlights key performance factors and focuses on the holistic integration of essential elements. According to the GMFSR, officiating performance is based on a referee’s embodied concepts: rules, laws and regulations and game knowledge; contextual judgment; physical fitness, positioning, and signaling; and dynamic communication and arbitration. These elements underpin the four skills of administering the game, decision-making, creating presence, and guiding the game, which together make up a referee’s game management competency. In addition, the framework emphasizes the importance of a referee mindset, stressing the influence of personal attributes and adaptive strategies on overall performance. Developed by integrating empirical evidence, different conceptual and theoretical perspectives, and expert knowledge from academia and practice, the GMFSR aims to provide a comprehensive foundation on which to stimulate ideas for the education and training of referees. It is hoped that by considering all elements of the GMFSR at the novice level and developing them throughout a referee’s career, it will provide holistic yet focused training, and serve as a valuable resource for future research.