Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Morphological Characteristics of Elite International Soccer Referees: Somatotype and Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis

Version 1 : Received: 8 June 2023 / Approved: 9 June 2023 / Online: 9 June 2023 (11:19:08 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Izzicupo, P.; Petri, C.; Serafini, S.; Galanti, G.; Mascherini, G. Morphological Characteristics of Elite International Soccer Referees: Somatotype and Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology 2023, 8, 100, doi:10.3390/jfmk8030100. Izzicupo, P.; Petri, C.; Serafini, S.; Galanti, G.; Mascherini, G. Morphological Characteristics of Elite International Soccer Referees: Somatotype and Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology 2023, 8, 100, doi:10.3390/jfmk8030100.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the physical characteristics of elite international soccer referees, compare them with other referee populations in the literature, and establish reference tolerance ellipses for the bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) point graph. Forty-one elite international soccer referees (age 38.8 ± 3.6 years) participated in the study. the participants underwent body composition assessments, including dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, BIVA, and somatotype. The Somatotype Attitudinal Distance (SAD), the two-sample Hotelling’s T2 test, and the Mahalanobis test were used to determine somatotype and bioelectrical vector differences with the literature. The average somatotype of the referees was a balanced mesomorph (2.8, 6.5, 2.8). Elite international referees significantly differed from other samples in the literature (SAD = 2.1, 2.6, 2.9 with respect to Zimbabwean, Brazilian, and South African referees, respectively). The bioelectrical vector was significantly different from the general population (T2  76.6; F = 38.8; D = 1.44; P < 0.001) and athletes (T2  25.3; F = 12.6; D = 0.8; P < 0.001). Somatotype values and tolerance ellipses from this study may be useful as a reference for developing training programs and improving the selection process of referees in soccer.

Keywords

soccer referees; body composition; somatotype; tolerance ellipses; DXA; BIA vector

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation

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