Emotional Management in Refereeing: A Proposal from Psychological Intervention

Abstract

The role of referees has received limited attention within sport psychology interventions, despite the emotional and decision-making demands inherent to officiating. This study presents the implementation and evaluation of an emotional regulation workshop for football referees, with the aim of analysing perceived effectiveness and participant satisfaction. The sample consisted of 38 referees (M = 19.8 years, SD = 2.91) from the Football Federation of the Region of Murcia, officiating across different competitive categories. The intervention comprised three sessions focused on regulating psychological variables, incorporating practical strategies for application before, during, and after matches. Evaluation was conducted using an ad hoc questionnaire, including quantitative items (Likert scale from 0 to 10) and qualitative responses. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction across all sessions and highlighted the usefulness of the emotional regulation techniques. Most participants indicated that the skills acquired could be applied to personal and academic contexts. The main limitations were the absence of a pre-test measure and the time interval between sessions. Overall, the results suggest that this type of intervention may contribute significantly to improving psychological well-being and self-efficacy among referees.