Skilled Interaction: Concepts of Communication and Player Management in the Development of Sport Officials

Abstract

Communication and player management are integral to effective sport officiating, but most research has focused on physical performance and decision making. The few previous studies of officiating communication tended to use “transmission” conceptualizations of communication (e.g., decision communication, impression management). Eleven officiating-development managers and coaches from 7 peak Australian sport bodies were interviewed to explore conceptualizations of communication and player management, the way officials improve, and the role of the sport bodies in improvement. Four salient themes emerged in conceptualizations of effective officiating communication and player management: personal qualities of the official, 1-way-communication direction giving and impression management, situation monitoring (interpreting player and context), and skilled interaction (adapting communication appropriately for context). The findings highlight a mismatch between (a) interpretive and interactive communication skills perceived to be most important and challenging and (b) the training that is currently provided to officials. There was general commonality in practice and training issues across sport codes. The article makes theoretical contributions to the study of sport-official communication and practical recommendations for improving approaches to training skilled communication and player management.

Perceptual-cognitive expertise when refereeing the scrum in rugby union

“…However, contrary to previous research revealing expertise differences in decision-making accuracy (e.g., Hancock & Ste-Marie, 2013;Spitz et al, 2016), the elite and trainee referees made decisions of similar accuracy. One possible explanation for this result might be that the trainee group had acquired enough refereeing experience (4 years on average) to develop the knowledge required to make appropriate decisions during scrum scenarios, with key factors other than decision-making distinguishing them from their elite counterparts (e.g., perceptual-cognitive skill in other scenarios such as rucks, or communication and player management; Cunningham, Simmons, Mascarenhas, & Redhead, 2014). Indeed, it is worth noting that the trainee referees were part of a University-based academy which has previously produced two elite referees, and thus received regular training and support on several aspects of refereeing including managing the scrum.…”

Implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as a Career Change-Event: The Israeli Premier League Case Study

“…In the present case, the largest effects of the VAR system integration were in pre-match preparation and players' management. These are two areas, as well as DM, in which referees can progress, given the appropriate training support (e.g., Cunningham et al, 2014;Samuel, 2015). Still, referees in other countries might experience modifications in additional areas.…”

Sport officiating recruitment, development, and retention: A call to action

“…Over the past decade, the sport science community, in Canada and beyond, has started to take more interest in the study of sport officials (Auger et al, 2010;Bernal et al, 2012;Cunningham et al, 2014;Forbes & Livingston, 2013;Gencay, 2009;Guillén & Feltz, 2011;Hancock, Rix-Lièvre, et al, 2015;Johansen & Haugen, 2013;Kellett & Warner, 2011;Kim & Hong, 2016;Kruger et al, 2012;, 2016, 2017a, 2017bPhilippe et al, 2009;Schaeperkoetter, 2017;Schweizer et al, 2013;Souchon et al, 2013). This has led to an expanding…”

“…Until fairly recently, moreover, few sport scientists were willing to examine officiating attrition at other levels (i.e., grass roots or entry level) or as a product of other factors (Forbes & Livingston, 2013;Kellett & Warner, 2011) within organized sport systems. Fortunately, throughout the past decade, there has been a growing interest in sport officials and therefore some progress made in gaining a broader understanding of their experiences (Bernal, Nix, & Boatwright, 2012;Cunningham, Simmons, Mascarenhas, & Redhead, 2014;Guillén & Feltz, 2011;Johansen & Haugen, 2013;Kellett & Warner, 2011;Kruger, Strydom, Ellis, & Ekmekci, 2012;Schweizer, Plessner, & Brand, 2013;Souchon et al, 2013). This trend is readily apparent in Canada where numerous investigations (Auger, Fortier, Thibault, & Gravelle, 2010;Betts, Forbes, & Livingston, 2007;Dorsch & Paskevich, 2007;Forbes & Livingston, 2013;Hancock, Dawson, et al, 2015;, 2016, 2017a, 2017bPhilippe, Vallerand, Andrianarisoa, & Brunel, 2009;Ste-Marie, 1999) are now contributing to an expanding body of literature on sport officiating, as well as an evolving understanding of why individuals enter into, remain committed, and leave from the amateur officiating ranks (Auger et al, 2010;Betts et al, 2007;Hancock, Dawson, et al, 2015;, 2016, 2017a, 2017b.…”