ABSTRACT
Several recent studies have evaluated the locomotor activities and physiological demands of football referees and assistant referees (Bragada, 2001; Krustrup and Bangsbo, 2001; Krustrup et al., 2002; Helsen and Bultynck, 2004; Castagna et al., 2005; Reilly and Gregson, 2006). Such studies have provided important information about match specific physical testing and training of football match officials. Futsal, the FIFA-regulated indoor football, has become a popular indoor alternative to football, with millions of players and fans worldwide. However, the scientific knowledge regarding the physical demands of futsal playing is rather limited and so far, no studies have investigated the activity profile and physiological demands of futsal refereeing. Despite some similarities with football refereeing, several futsal-specific features, including pitch size, number of players, game rules and position of the referees may impose distinct activity profiles and physiological demands. Thus, the aims of the present study were to describe the activity profile of futsal referees during competitive games, including number of activity changes, total distance covered (TD), high-intensity running (HIR), sprinting (SPR) and sideways running (SR) and to examine the physiological demands by measuring heart rate and blood lactate. In addition, intermittent exercise performance of futsal referees was determined by the Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Test, level 2 (Yo-YoIE2).
