Injury incidence among soccer referees A systematic review
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Abstract
Background: The scientific interest in the match performances of soccer referees has grown substantially over the past two decades. Referees need to maintain good physical performance to reduce injuries. So, this study aims to identify the injury rates in soccer referees. Methods: A search was conducted on the main international databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science). Amateur and professional levels are both considered. Reviews, no English language studies, and studies that did not investigate only referees are not considered. Results: The search produced 380 results, 167 after removing duplicate results. In the end, 11 studies are selected. The match injury incidence ranges from 0.7 to 19.6 per 1000 hours; the training injury incidence ranges from 0.3 to 4.6 per 1000 hours. Conclusions: Monitoring injury incidence in referees is crucial, particularly in short-time competitions, which exhibit a notably high incidence.
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References
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