{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T22:11:16Z","timestamp":1770070276530,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,14]],"date-time":"2024-05-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1715644800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"FCT\u2014Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","award":["UIDB\/05198\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/05198\/2020"]}]},{"name":"FCT\u2014Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","award":["UIDB\/50008\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/50008\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Referees are crucial elements in football, and they must meet the physical and physiological demands each match poses to them. The aim is to analyse the physical and physiological demands of amateur referees in games at the regional level (4th division), examining the differences between the first and second halves and between assistant (age: 25.10 \u00b1 4.97) and main referees (age: 25.65 \u00b1 5.12). A total of 29 matches were analysed with GPS devices, and internal and external load metrics were analysed. Overall, main referees, due to their central role in game management, showed higher levels of physical and physiological load than assistant referees, with more high-intensity activities, greater distance covered and higher heart rate. The results also revealed that there were no differences between the halves for total distance covered for either the main or assistant referees. However, the main referees covered a greater distance in high-intensity running during the first half (p = 0.05; d = 0.389). These findings emphasise the importance of tailored training protocols to enhance performance and reduce fatigue-related errors, highlighting the significance of endurance, high-intensity running ability, and strategies to manage transient fatigue in referee preparation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/sports12050133","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,14]],"date-time":"2024-05-14T10:26:36Z","timestamp":1715682396000},"page":"133","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Physical and Physiological Demands of Amateur Portuguese Field and Assistant Football Referees"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2310-1560","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ricardo","family":"Gomes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Research Unit in Sport Sciences, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"SPRINT Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Instituto de Telecomunica\u00e7\u00f5es (IT), Delega\u00e7\u00e3o da Covilh\u00e3, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity (CIDAF), Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, 3040-256 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Rodrigo","family":"Mendes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Research Unit in Sport Sciences, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Amaro","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Football Association of Coimbra, 3030-330 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2433-5193","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rui","family":"Mendes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Research Unit in Sport Sciences, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"SPRINT Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity (CIDAF), Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, 3040-256 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3774-6661","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gon\u00e7alo","family":"Dias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Research Unit in Sport Sciences, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"SPRINT Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Instituto de Telecomunica\u00e7\u00f5es (IT), Delega\u00e7\u00e3o da Covilh\u00e3, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity (CIDAF), Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, 3040-256 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1812-2300","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernando","family":"Martins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Research Unit in Sport Sciences, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Coimbra Education School, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"SPRINT Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Instituto de Telecomunica\u00e7\u00f5es (IT), Delega\u00e7\u00e3o da Covilh\u00e3, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"InED\u2014Centre for Research and Innovation in Education, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"342","DOI":"10.1080\/15438627.2021.1988948","article-title":"External Loads of Elite Soccer Referees: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis: External Loads of Elite Soccer Referees","volume":"31","author":"Preissler","year":"2023","journal-title":"Res. 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