Decision Making for Sports Officials

Training and Assessment Perspectives

Ian Cunningham (University of Strathclyde, UK.), Aden Kittel, Duncan Mascarenhas , Clare MacMahon

$305

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Routledge
09 June 2025

Psychology; Sports psychology

Series: Routledge Psychology of Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity

This essential guidebook provides a comprehensive, holistic, and evidence-based account for improving the decision making of sports officials across different sports and levels. By combining cutting-edge research with practical strategies, this book provides fundamental frameworks for developing decision-making skills that support the needs of officials themselves, officiating educators, sport organizations, and academics. This cross-disciplinary collaboration ensures the book stays grounded in both theory and practice, offering readers a well-rounded, state-of-the-art understanding of the subject.

Divided into three key sections, the book first explores the unique demands and types of decisions faced by officials in different sports. Next, fundamental cognitive and mental factors that influence decision making are explained, emphasizing the creation of knowledge, the influences on decision processes, and the role of mental health and psychological management on decision-making performance. Finally, the book outlines pragmatic and innovative strategies for supporting, assessing, and training decision making and creating effective development climates for sports officials. Future trends in the evolution of technology use for training and assessing officials – spanning grassroots to elite levels – are also discussed, including artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and other immersive learning tools.

Each chapter is enriched by ""Knowledge in Practice"" boxes, which bring the experiences and perspectives of sports officials, officiating educators and administrators, and sports scientists from around the globe to light. These provide real-world examples and lessons for how decision making can be improved in various sporting contexts.

Decision Making for Sports Officials: Training and Assessment Perspectives is a core resource for enhancing decision making in the high-stakes world of sports officiating.

By: Ian Cunningham (University of Strathclyde UK.), Aden Kittel, Duncan Mascarenhas, Clare MacMahon, Paul Larkin
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
Weight: 760g
ISBN: 9781032615929
ISBN 10: 1032615923
Series: Routledge Psychology of Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity
Pages: 300
Publication Date: 09 June 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

List of Tables and Figures Foreword Preface Chapter 1: Introduction Section 1: The ‘Who’: Typifying sport officials and their decisions Chapter 2 - Types of sport officials Chapter 3 – Types of sport official decisions Chapter 4 – The video official Section 2: The ‘What’: What are we trying to assess and train? Chapter 5 – Decision-Making Expertise: Factors and Theories Chapter 6 – Knowledge-Base for Better Decisions Chapter 7 – Improving Decisions in Context Chapter 8 - The Officiating Team Section 3: The ‘How’ – Part 1: Pedagogies and Approaches to Training Chapter 9 – Micro vs macro training approaches Chapter 10 – Constructing training programs Chapter 11 - Officiating Coaching Pedagogies Section 4: The ‘How’ – Part 2: Training and Assessment Tools Chapter 12 - Assessing decision-making performance Chapter 13 – Video-based training approaches Chapter 14 - Representative learning and constraints-led training tools Chapter 15 – Future technologies in decision-making assessment and training Section 5: Current International Practice Chapter 16 – The Elite and Professional Sporting World Chapter 17 – Recent Case studies Chapter 18 - Conclusions References Index

Ian Cunningham, PhD, is a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Edinburgh Napier University, UK. He has provided educational design support and policy recommendations for national and professional talent-identified officiating groups in Australia, France, UK, and Canada. Aden Kittel, PhD, is a Member of the Centre for Sport Research (CSR) within the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) at Deakin University, Australia, and has published academic journal articles and delivered conference presentation talks. Duncan Mascarenhas, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology and Coaching at Edinburgh Napier University. He is the Programme Leader of the world’s first master’s degree for sports officials. Clare MacMahon, PhD, is an Associate Professor at La Trobe University, Australia. Clare is a founding Executive Member of the Australasian Skill Acquisition Network (ASAN). Paul Larkin, PhD, is a Senior Research Associate at Victoria University Maribyrnong Sports Academy, Melbourne, Australia. He has an international track record exploring talent identification and development and decision-making skills in sports officials.

Reviews for Decision Making for Sports Officials: Training and Assessment Perspectives

""This book is an essential resource for understanding the complexities of match officiating and expertly blends theory and practice, offering invaluable insights into decision-making under pressure. A must-read for officials at all levels, this book significantly contributes to advancing the art and science of officiating."" —Sara Cox, MBE, International Rugby Union Referee ""This is a timely and remarkable book that covers a holistic perspective of under-researched officials’ judgments and decisions in sports. A delightfully readable and one-of-a-kind book for all that love sports!"" —Markus Raab, Professor of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne