EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL PREPARATION OF FOOTBALL REFEREES

Abstract

Football is one of the most popular and internationally recognized sports that gathers millions of players and fans all over the world. However, on the football field, in addition to twenty-two players, an important role is played by a person whose decisions often determine the fate of the match. This is a football referee. The integrity of the game, the fairness of the result, compliance with the rules, the safety of the players and the normal course of the competition depend on his decisions. Football referees, thanks to their professional level, work etiquette and experience, ensure an adequate evaluation of events on the field. Their decisions can affect the outcome of the game, so they contribute to the integrity and values of the sport. The role of the referee in football is extremely important and directly affects the course of the game. Referees ensure compliance with the rules of the game. They react to violations and wrongdoing by players, which helps preserve the sportsmanship of the match and avoid danger to players. Referees make decisions based on their observations and knowledge of the rules, they determine whether there was a violation, who committed it, and what sanctions to apply. The activity of a football referee directly depends on the level of his training. High professional training allows the referee to better cope with challenges on the field, to make quick and informed decisions. This also contributes to the referee’s career growth. A high level of training allows referees to qualify for entry into the international refereeing system, where they can participate in important and prestigious tournaments such as the World Cup or the Champions League. This requires even greater responsibility and constant self-improvement from them. This study was conducted on the basis of the referee corps of the Sumy Region Football Association. It was attended by 14 practicing referees who were divided into two groups: control and experimental. There was an equal number of people in each group – 7, which made it possible to make the results more comparative and objective. The research consisted in testing the physical qualities of football referees, assessing the fat component of the body, training the experimental group according to the new methodology during the set time and re-testing at the final stage. The obtained results were analyzed in order to determine the effectiveness of the exercises that were suggested to be used by the referees of the experimental group during training.