Training and development in sport officials: A systematic review

Abstract

Sport officials make significant contributions to organized sport, yet scientific evidence to inform their specialized training and education at various levels has lagged. While psychological and performance demands of expert sport officials have been well documented, the extent of research about talent and expertise development, training efficacy, and broader developmental trajectories is unclear. This systematic review summarizes 30 years of published findings on the study of training and development of sport officials, including areas of research interest, study designs, and sport official characteristics. A PRISMA systematic review was conducted, utilizing three scientific databases (Web of Science, SportsDiscus, PsycInfo) to identify relevant studies (N = 27). Female participants were generally underrepresented in studies (17%), while football officials were most often represented (79%). Training intervention (59%), retrospective (37%), and cross‐sectional comparison (22%) were the main study designs. Expert and near‐expert sport officials' training histories and responses to empirically driven isolated‐skills training represented the predominant areas of study. Sport‐specific, video‐based infraction detection tasks were the most frequently used training methods to improve perceptual‐cognitive skills for on‐field decision‐making, however, studies lacked retention measures to on‐field performance. Psychological skills training programs were found to have mixed effects and used varied criteria for measuring training efficacy. Physical training showed mainly significant effects on physiological measures and aging influences for on‐field performance. More rigorous sport‐specific evidence, assessments of training transfer, program efficacy, and macro‐developmental trajectory and milestone data are needed to inform training programs and developmental plans.

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