Dr Tom Webb, Associate Professor in the Centre for Business in Society at Coventry University, joins Dr Stuart McErlain-Naylor to discuss officiating within sports and the challenges that face referees and other officials across the landscape. 

Throughout the episode, conversations around the role and purpose of a sports official are centred, alongside the perception of sports officials as athletes, embracing the introduction of technologies such as VAR, and debating what constitutes a successful outcome.

Timestamps:

0.00-4.30 - Introduction and background

4.31-7.49 - How does lack of research affect the representation of sports officials

7.50-13.45 - Referee and Sports Official Research Network and further projects

13.46-23.50 - Role and purpose of a sports official

23.51-27.15 - Embracing and working with technology to officiate

27.16-33.00 - Perception of the official as an athlete

33.01-36.02 - What does a successful outcome look like? 

36.03-40.40 - Errors, re-refereeing and the introduction of VAR

40.41-47.47 - Issue of recruitment and retention within sports and solutions

47.48-50.53 - Examples outside of sport to improve experience

50.54-54.04 - Outro and further work