Referee and Sports Official Research Network

The Referee and Sports Official Research Network brings together academics, sports official industry professionals and policy makers interested in the research, insight and development of sports officials around the world.

Research and insight is coordinated and conducted from a variety of disciplines and with numerous partners and collaborators in order to develop a greater understanding of the experience, operational climate, and management of sports officials within national and international organisations and across transnational boundaries.

Further information about the network

The lead academic of this research group is
Dr Tom Webb
Associate Professor in the Centre for Business in Society (CBiS) at Coventry University – please see Tom’s profile page for further details.

Network Academic Collaborators

The network brings together academics from all over the world. Below are details of the academics who have been involved in the network and are actively working in areas related to sports officials.

Prof. Camilla Knight
Swansea University
c.j.knight@swansea.ac.uk

Prof. Chris Wagstaff
University of Portsmouth
chris.Wagstaff@port.ac.uk

Dr Jamie Cleland
University Of South Australia
jamie.Cleland@unisa.edu.au

Assoc Prof. David Hancock
Memorial University
dhancock@mun.ca

Assoc Prof. Jacob Tingle
Trinity University
jtingle@trinity.edu

Prof. Pamm Phillips
Deakin University
pamm.phillips@deakin.edu.au

Prof. Tracy Vaillancourt
University of Ottawa
tracy.vaillancourt@uOttawa.ca

Prof. Sylvie Parent
University of Laval
sylvie.parent@fse.ulaval.ca

Prof. Paul Downward
Loughborough University
P.Downward@lboro.ac.uk

Dr Matt Miller-Dicks
University of Portsmouth
matt.dicks@port.ac.uk

Assoc Prof. Mike Rayner
University of Portsmouth
mike.rayner@port.ac.uk

Dr Gemma Milligan
University of Portsmouth
Gemma.Milligan@port.ac.uk

Dr Paul Gorczynski
University of Greenwich
paul.gorczynski@greenwich.ac.uk

Assoc Prof. Dara Mojtahedi
University of Bolton
D.Mojtahedi@bolton.ac.uk

Assoc Prof Ignacio Aliende
Complutense University
ialiende@ucm.es

Dr Jimmy O’Gorman
Edge Hill University
ogormanj@edgehill.ac.uk

Assoc Prof. Peter Dawson
University of East Anglia
Peter.Dawson@uea.ac.uk

Mr Mohsen Loghmani
Griffith University
m.loghmani@griffith.edu.au

Projects

Dr Webb and others in the network are constantly developing and working on sports officiating projects around the world. See below for more details.

The network brings together scholars, policy makers and interested parties from a variety of organisations in order to develop a greater understanding of the expereince, operational climate, and coordination of match officials within national and international organisational structures.

To date, some of the sports organisations that have collaborated and been involved in the network in a variety of ways include:

UEFA
KVNB (Dutch FA)
RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation)
The Football Association
Marylebone Cricket Club
European Handball Federation
The Referees Association
Ontario Soccer (Canada)
FIGC (Italian Football Federation)
World Netball
The Rugby Football League
International Federation of Sports Officials (IFSO)
European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE)
Reveal Media
Welsh Rugby Union
REFSIX

Testimonials

“Wealth of Experience”

“[Tom’s] wealth of experience and knowledge in sport officiating and research methods has been invaluable for the success of the WINS project…The Research Report provided an evidence base for the rest of the project and was produced in a professional and timely manner, in line with the milestones and deadlines of the project.”

European Observatoire of Sport and Employment

“Expert in the field”

“As an expert in the field of the training and management of sports officials, Dr Webb designed and ran the data collection and evaluation of the findings…Dr Webb also participated in webinars to provide updates to a global audience, alongside an expert panel, on the developments and finding’s from the trial.”

Reveal Media

“Extensive knowledge and expertise around officiating”

“Toms ability to adapt and integrate into our work, understanding our organisational culture and values, is a testament to his professionalism. He is able to bring extensive knowledge and expertise around officiating, to support our further development within this field…His dedication and collaborative approach have fostered a positive and productive work environment, making him a highly regarded member of our team”

The FA Group

The network deals with three main themes

Working environment and operation conditions for sports officials
Development and performance across organisation and societal cultures
Leadership, management and coordination of sports officials

Recent Publications

“Never having to make a mistake, I think that’s the hardest part of being an official”: Exploring young sport official’s experiences of abuse and their related coping mechanisms.
Radziszewski, S., Parent, S., St-Pierre, E., & Fortier, J. (2023). In: Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.
Research output: Contribution to journal > Article > peer-review

Sports officials and parents as spectators: Diffusing tensions on the sidelines

Webb, T. & Knight, C., Dec 2023. In: Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Body Worn Camera Trial: Final Report
Webb, T., 19 Jul 2023, Reveal Media. 50.

Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report

European Research Report on Gender and Sport Officiating
Webb, T., 16 May 2023, European Commission. 108.

Research output: Book/Report › Other report

Experiences of female football referees: using the lack of fit model to explore gender stereotypes in football in England
Grubb, L., Webb, T. & Rayner, M., 8 Feb 2023, Critical Issues in Football: A Sociological Analysis of the Beautiful Game. Roberts, W., Whigham, S., Culvin, A. & Parnell, D. (eds.). 1st ed. United Kingdom: Routledge, 13. (Critical Research in Football).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

How job crafting builds organizational agility in a government-dependent NSO: the mediating role of organizational climate
Loghmani, M., Webb, T., Cuskelly, G. & Alavi, S., 1 Sept 2023, In: Managing Sport and Leisure. 28, 5, p. 522-537 16.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Money troubles and problems ahead? The financial health of professional women’s football clubs in England
Clarkson, B. G., Plumley, D., Philippou, C., Wilson, R. & Webb, T., 15 Sept 2023, In: Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal. 13, 5, p. 563-581 19.