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Mental Toughness in Elite Football Officiating Mental toughness in elite football officiating SLACK, Liam A. Available from the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/17521/ A Sheffield Hallam University thesis This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Please visit http://shura.shu.ac.uk/17521/ and http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html for further details about copyright and re-use permissions. Sheffield Hallam University Learning and IT Services Collegiate Learning Centre Collegiate Crescent Campus Sheffield S10 2BP 102 019 791 9 Mental Toughness in Elite Football Officiating Liam A. Slack A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Sheffield Hallam University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September, 2013 Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. - Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) This thesis is dedicated to Julia Beverley Dennison Slack Abstract The overall purpose of this Ph.D. thesis was to identify factors underpinning football officiating excellence. As a result, this thesis provided an in-depth study into understanding Mental Toughness (MT) and its development within elite football referees. A secondary purpose was to use the findings of the series of studies contained herein, to bridge the gap between theory and applied practice by providing recommendations for football officiating National Governing Bodies (NGBs), sport psychology consultants, and developing a programme aimed at facilitating officiating excellence and enhancing effective referee development. The aim of the first study of the thesis was to provide an in-depth understanding of football officiating excellence in the context of English Premier League (EPL) refereeing. Specifically, in this study, 15 “Select Group” referees (i.e., a panel of elite football officials governed to referee EPL matches) were interviewed about their perceptions of factors underpinning officiating excellence. Overall, the findings of study one indicated that there was no single dominant factor underpinning football officiating excellence, rather a variety of social (e.g., support networks), physical (e.g., superior physical components), environmental (e.g., opportunities to thrive), and psychological factors (e.g., personal characteristics). In particular, it was clear that EPL referees rely on seven MT attributes (i.e., sport intelligence, achievement striving, tough attitude, high work-ethic, coping with pressure, robust self-belief, and resilience) to deal with the many demands in this elite football environment. Subsequently, this finding enabled a further study to examine MT in this area. Again, using one-to-one interviews, study two explored the same 15 Select Group referees to attain a comprehensive understanding of MT in elite football officiating. Central to this investigation, study two examined situations perceived to require MT in EPL refereeing, as well as the behaviours and cognitions deployed by referees in such situations. Findings revealed that these MT situations converged into five higher-order themes: pre-match situations, during-match situations, post-match situations, general elite refereeing situations, and general-life situations. Throughout these situations, a multifunctional set of adaptive patterns of behaviour (e.g., act as a barrier between players) and cognitive strategies (e.g., awareness of players' emotions) were outlined. Recommendations for the development of MT in football officiating were offered, which together with findings from study one, highlighted the need for the design and implementation of a MT intervention. The purpose of study three was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Mental Toughness Education and Training Programme (MTETP) in English football officiating. Taken together with the pilot study, the findings outlined the effectiveness of a MTETP on MT development and performance, provided a good starting point for future research in an effort to develop more robust MT interventions, and assisted sport psychology consultants who endeavour to enhance MT in football officials. From a theoretical perspective, the findings of this thesis provided a detailed insight into the specific factors underpinning football officiating excellence. In doing so, a comprehensive conceptualisation of MT and its development in the context EPL refereeing was achieved. From an applied perspective, future guidelines for NGBs, coaches, and sport psychology consultancy for the effective integration of MT education and training in elite football officiating were presented. Acknowledgements I received invaluable guidance whilst writing this thesis. My gratitude is extended to my Director of Studies, Prof. Ian Maynard who demonstrated the importance of precision, work-ethic, and professionalism during my adventures as a Ph.D. researcher. Dr. Joanne Butt, too, whose expert supervision made a significant contribution to the overall shape of the thesis and throughout the publication process. I would also like to pay thanks to Dr. Peter Olusoga for his constant source of inspiration and feedback. I owe Ian, Joanne, and Peter a tremendous amount. I sincerely thank Mike Riley (PGMOL - General Manager) and Eddie Wolstenholme (PGMOL - Senior Coach) for their support on this thesis and would like to acknowledge that the cooperation of the Select Group and English Football League referees was of invaluable importance. I ’ve had the support from scholars both home and abroad who were instrumental in my development as a budding Ph.D. student. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Kim Purdy, Dr. Greg Hooks, and Dr. Nick Watson who encouraged me to replicate my sporting achievements within the academic domain. While the guidance I have received throughout this journey has been vital, I ’ve also had the joy of spending countless hours with a fantastic group of office-mates (Alastair and Sarah). Specifically, I would like to offer notable thanks to Dr. Andrew Mills for his friendship over the last three-and-a-half years. On a personal note, I would not be the person I am today without the support of my family and friends. My thanks are evenly shared to various aunties and cousins, as well as my grandparents. My sister, for being a “sounding-board ” during my most challenging times, nice one Nats! Finally, thank you Mum, for your love beyond measure and sacrificing many of your life ambitions, for me to pursue mine -fo r that, I will be eternally grateful. Undoubtedly, Mum, you are the “mentally toughest” person I know. Table of Contents Abstract ......... i Acknowledgements ....... ii Table of Contents ...... iii List of Figures ........ viii List of Tables ........ x List of Appendices ....... xi Peer-Reviewed Work Related to the Thesis . xiii Chapter I: Introduction ...... 1 1.1 Performance Excellence ....... 1 1.2 Purpose of the Thesis ....... 3 1.3 Structure of the Thesis ....... 3 1.3.1 Chapter II (Review of Literature) .... 3 1.3.2 Chapter III (Study One). ..... 4 1.3.3 Chapter IV (Study Two) ..... 4 1.3.4 Chapter V (Pilot Study). ..... 5 1.3.5 Chapter VI (Study T h r e e ) ................................................................... 5 1.3.6 Chapter VII (Summary, Discussion, and Conclusions) . 6 Chapter II: Review of Literature ..... 7 2.1 Performance Excellence in Sport ...... 7 2.2 Factors Underpinning Athletic Excellence .... 8 2.3 Psychological Factors Underpinning Athletic Excellence . 12 2.4 Elite Sport Officiating Research . 19 2.5 Factors Underpinning Sport Officiating Excellence . 21 2.6 Factors Underpinning Football Officiating Excellence . 24 2.7 Summary and Aims of the Thesis.. 29 Chapter III: Study One. Factors Underpinning Football Officiating Excellence: Perceptions of English Premier League Referees 30 3.1 Introduction ........ 30 3.2 Study Purposes ........ 31 3.3 M e t h o d ..........................................................................................................................31 3.3.1 Participants . 31 3.3.2 Procedure ....... 32 3.3.3 Interview guide ....... 32 3.3.4 Data analysis ....... 33 3.3.5 Trustworthiness criteria ...... 34 3.4 Results ......... 34 3.4.1 Mental Toughness attributes ..... 35 3.4.1.1 Coping with pressure ..... 35 3.4.1.2 Resilience ...... 35 3.4.1.3 Robust self-belief ..... 37 3.4.1.4 Tough attitude. ..... 37 3.4.1.5 Achievement striving . .... 37 3.4.1.6 High work-ethic ..... 38 3.4.1.7 Sport intelligence ..... 38 3.4.2 Support networks and services ..... 39 3.4.2.1 Social support. ..... 39 3.4.2.2 PGMOL support ..... 39 3.4.3 Effective game management qualities .... 40 3.4.3.1 Establishing player and manager respect 40 3.4.3.2 Effective communication skills 40 3.4.3.3 Credible on-field positioning .... 41 3.4.3.4 Decisive decision-making .... 41 3.4.3.5 Match-day officials’ team cohesion . 41 3.4.4 Multifaceted pre-match preparation .... 43 3.4.4.1 Organisational preparation .... 43 3.4.4.2 Physical preparation ..... 43 3.4.4.3 Tactical preparation and approach 43 3.4.4.4 Technical checks and approach 44 3.4.5 Performance-level enhancement .... 44 3.4.5.1 Select Group development .... 44 3.4.5.2 Self-analysis of refereeing performance 45 3.4.5.3 Application of performance-aided technology equipment 45 3.4.6 Opportunities to thrive ...... 45 3.4.6.1 Personal domestic honours .... 47 3.4.6.2 International experience .... 47 3.4.6.3 Extensive referee grounding .... 47 3.4.7 Personal characteristics ...... 47 3.4.8 Superior physical components ..... 48 3.5 Discussion ........ 48 3.5.1 Strengths and limitations ..... 51 3.5.2 Applied implications ...... 51 3.6 Concluding Remarks ....... 53 Chapter IV: Study Two. Understanding Mental Toughness in Elite Football Officiating: Perceptions of English Premier League Referees ........ 54 4.1 Introduction ........ 54 4.2 Study Purposes ........ 57 4.3 Method ......... 58 4.3.1 Participants ....... 58 4.3.2 Procedure ....... 58 3.3.3 Interview guide ......
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