Body Composition Of Italian Soccer Referees

PURPOSE: Soccer is a sport in which players perform different kind of activities at different level of effort over a 90-min match. Referee is so important for this sport that without him there is no match. The objective of the present study was determined the body composition of official Italian soccer referees and compare their changes through a regular season (T1, October; T2, December; T3, May) with a team of the first Italian league. METHODS: 22 elite soccer referees (SR) from the Italian Association of Soccer and 18 elite Soccer players (SP) were enroll in this study. The variables of body mass, height, skinfold thicknesses, body circumferences (waist, hip and biceps) were collected with the purpose of estimating Sum of skinfold thicknesses , Fat Mass (FM %), Fat Mass (FM kg), Fat Mass index ( FMI kg/h) and Free-fat mass ( FFM kg). RESULTS: We observed statistical differences in age (SR= 39.0 ± 3.6; SP= 27.0 ± 3.5; p= ≤ 0.005). In T1, T2 and T3 evaluation are been detected statistical differences if we compare the 2 groups (Table 1). During the season in referees group are been observed statistical difference in body mass (T1, 77.4 ± 4.2; T2 78.1 ± 4.4; T3 78.3 ± 4.2 kg; p= < 0.005), waist circumference (T1, 76.5 ± 2.3; T2 78.1 ± 2.9; T3 77.4 ± 2.6 cm; p= < 0.005) and free-fat mass (T1, 66.7 ± 3.8 T2 67.6 ± 4.0; T3 67.1 ± 4.0 kg; p= < 0.005). In elite soccer players don’t are been found statistical differences. CONCLUSION: Considering the results of the present study we may conclude that official football referees presented an amount of body fat higher of that observed in football players. Therefore, the nutritional habits must be adapted to their daily physical activities, short training periods and moderate energy intensity physical activity, on average, during match refereeing, to obtain better performance.