Resumen de Elite Futsal Refereeing: Activity Profile and Physiological Demands

António Natal Rebelo, Antonio A. Ascensão, José F. Magalhães, Rasmus Bischoff, Mads Bendiksen, Peter Krustrup

• The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological demands and to establish the relationship between activity profile and endurance capacity of futsal referees. Eighteen elite futsal referees (33.0 ± 5.1 years, 173 ± 5 cm, and 73.2 ± 8.4 kg) were studied. Video filming (n = 18) and heart rate (HR) recordings were performed throughout games. Blood lactate (n = 14) was determined at rest and after the game. Endurance capacity was determined with the Yo-Yo IE2. The number of activity changes was as high as 1,395 ± 218 (±SD). Total distance covered, high-intensity running (HIR), sprinting (SPR), and sideways running were 5.89 ± 0.56, 0.96 ± 0.29, 0.09 ± 0.07, and 0.91 ± 0.46 km, respectively. The number of HIR and SPR bouts was 129 ± 41 and 9 ± 8, respectively, with a mean duration of ~1.4 seconds. Blood lactate content was 1.0 ± 0.3 and 1.5 ± 0.5 mM before and after the game. The amount of HIR performed during the match correlated significantly (r = 0.77; p < 0.05) with the Yo-Yo IE2 performance. Considering the data obtained in the present study, the use of match-specific intermittent fitness tests to evaluate futsal referees seems to be required.