
Decision Making for Sports Officials
Training and Assessment Perspectives
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 8. June 2025
Book
Hardback
300 pages
978-1-032-61592-9 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
"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
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Academic, Postgraduate, Professional Practice & Development, Professional Training, and Undergraduate Advanced
Illustrations
4 s/w Abbildungen, 4 s/w Zeichnungen, 15 s/w Tabellen
15 Tables, black and white; 4 Line drawings, black and white; 4 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
540 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-032-61592-9 (9781032615929)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Ian Cunningham | Aden Kittel | Duncan Mascarenhas
Decision Making for Sports Officials
Training and Assessment Perspectives
E-Book
06/2025
1st Edition
Routledge
€60.49
Available for download

Ian Cunningham | Aden Kittel | Duncan Mascarenhas
Decision Making for Sports Officials
Training and Assessment Perspectives
E-Book
06/2025
1st Edition
Routledge
€60.49
Available for download
Persons
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.
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.
Author
University of Strathclyde, UK.
Content
1. Introduction. Part I: Typifying sports officials and their decisions. 2. Understanding decision-making demands in officiating. 3. Describing the video official in sports. Part II: Cognitive and mental foundations of decision making for sports officials. 4. Acquiring the necessary knowledge base for decision making in sports officials. 5. Identifying influences on decision making for sports officials. 6. Psychological preparation and skills for effective sports official decision making. Part III: Assessing, supporting, and training decision-making skills in sports officials. 7. Assessing effective decision-making performance in sports officials. 8. Creating climates to support sports officiating decision-making skill development. 9. Constructing decision-making training programs for sports officials. 10. Considering the future of decision-making training for sports officials.