Author(s): OREILLY, J., HUI, S.C., SIT, C.H.P., LU, Y.J., Institution: THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, Country: HONG KONG, Abstract-ID: 1509

INTRODUCTION:
In recent years, there has been an enhanced awareness in relation to the emotional wellbeing of professional sportspeople (Henriksen et al. 2020). As a result, updated guidelines have been produced by sporting and scholarly organisations to assist practitioners identify issues that previously may have went overlooked (Gouttebarge et al. 2021). Football referees are subject to significant physical and psychological requirements, although little is known about the impact of these demands on their emotional health (Loghmani et al. 2021). This study aimed to conduct an assessment of various emotional wellbeing markers on football referees in Hong Kong.
METHODS:
Referees from the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) training programme participated in this study. A questionnaire containing 28 items was conducted at the beginning, mid-way, and end of the year, covering aspects of general information, basic health, quality of life, nutrition knowledge, psychological evaluation, and information on quitting the profession. All questionnaires were prepared in bi-lingual.
RESULTS:
A total of 106 participants (mean age 25.4 y) across 3 years took part in this study. Table 1 illustrates the change in the level of quality of life (QoL), which was assessed in years 2 and 3. In year 2, the overall level of QoL dropped significantly in both the mid- and post-programme stage (p=0.024), while the situation the following year was the opposite, whereby QoL increased by 4.5 and 5.4 points at the latter two stages, respectively (p=0.005).

The mean level of self-perceived state of well-being significantly dropped at the end of the programme in each year (p=0.022 & 0.034). The percentage of those who regarded themselves in a “good” state of well-being, or even better, also decreased by 18.5 points (p=0.05) at the post-programme stage after year 3. 66%, 82% and 86% of referees regarded their well-being as “good” or better at the pre-programme stage of the 3 years respectively, which dropped to 60%, 70% and 68% at the end of each year. See table 2.

According to the degree of the sources of stress rated by young referees, there was no source that was regarded as “strong” by a high percentage of referees while less than 30% of referees never thought about quitting.
CONCLUSION:
The current study shows that the state of well-being of young referees decreased at the end of the programme, as did the level of QoL in year 2. Some sources of stress were alleviated due to the increased opportunities of learning and practicing provided by the programme. This research can provide useful information for Football Associations in South-East Asia in relation to the recruitment and retention of professional referees, as well as leading to the potential enhancement of refereeing performance.

Henriksen et al. 2020. J. Sport Exerc. Psychol. 18(5):553–560.
Gouttebarge et al. 2021. Br J Sports Med. 55(1):30–37.
Loghmani et al. 2021. Sport Manag Rev. 1–26.