Stressors and coping strategies of referees in the United States Soccer Federation leagues

Soccer officiating can be challenging, exciting, and rewarding. On the other hand, officials can also feel frustrated, abused, and unappreciated. Soccer officials face as much pressure and emotion---sometimes more---than the athletes and coaches.;The purpose of this study was to give both professional and amateur league referees in the United States Soccer Federation the opportunity not only to offer explanations, but also to respond to the criticisms and stressors they experienced both directly and indirectly from their officiating. This study also examined the relationship between officiating and leadership, and evaluated whether referees developed leadership skills resulting from their officiating experience. Three research questions about stressors, coping with the stressors, and if the referees perceived themselves as leaders were used to achieve the purpose of this study. A survey consisting of seven separate categories, including some open-ended questions, was provided to professional and amateur league soccer referees in the United States who participated in the annual Referee Training Seminars, local and regional soccer tournaments, or attended referee chapter meetings.;The survey had 79 Likert-style scale questions and four open-ended questions. Data from the 300 retuned surveys were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. The two most common stressors were (a) making an important decision and later realizing it was wrong, followed by (b) having a bad game. The top two responses for coping with stressors were (a) trying to learn something from errors and (b) analyzing what happened to understand it better. In the qualitative analysis, the preponderance of responses indicated that the referees perceived themselves as leaders and believed they applied attributes of a good leader while officiating. Ninety percent of participants in this study said they developed leadership skills as the result of their officiating experience.