Improve sports by improving the referee

Research among more than 500 referees shows that by using a referee communication system, such as a ‘headset’, referees make faster and more correct decisions.

A striking result of the investigation is that 73% of the referees indicate that a communication system contributes to the safety of the referee. By communicating with fellow referees, you can perceive more quickly and anticipate incidents.

Honesty and sportsmanship
The question whether an earpiece can contribute to honesty and sportsmanship in sport answers 96% with ‘yes’. On the one hand, by making more correct decisions so that fewer mistakes are made. On the other hand, quicker decisions lead to less discussion and unsportsmanlike behavior (escalation). 80% believes that a communication system can prevent incidents in and around the field.

Quality of the sports competition
Finally, the question: does a communication system contribute to the quality of the competition? More than 94% confirm this. “The better the referee, the fairer and better the game”.

Referee: “The great advantage of whistling with a communication system, in which you are in wireless contact with fellow referees, is that you continuously observe with 3 or 4 people what is happening on and around the field. Previously, you made a decision based on your own observation. With 4 pairs of eyes you as a team can make faster and – perhaps even more important – better decisions”.

Referee coordinator: “I have tested the communication system as referee coordinator, where I coached a referee in the field. In this application you can give ‘real time’ feedback to the referee in the field as coordinator. For the referee this provides an immediate learning moment of which he can immediately notice the effect in the next situation on the field. Because the referee immediately sees the effect of small changes, the final result is a faster learning curve”.