Perceptions of Sport Officials – what the New Zealand public thinks

Jan Charbonneau

University of Canterbury, Sport NZ, Massey University

2008

University of Canterbury, Sport NZ, Massey University

Terry Macpherson Massey University

Telephone: +64 (06) 356 9099  ext. 83980
Email:  T.A.Macpherson@massey.ac.nz

Without independent and unbiased officials and officiating, any sport would fall into disarray. While the crucial role played by sports officials is widely acknowledged, there has been little research other than anecdotal about how sports officials are perceived by the general public. A mail survey was sent to a random sample of 1800 New Zealanders drawn from the Electoral Roll to determine their overall opinion of sports officials, their performance on the field, the influence they have over the outcome of the game, and whether they should be held accountable for their decisions. Respondents were also asked the sources they used to obtain their sports information and the level of abuse faced by sports officials. A total of 692 valid questionnaires were processed for an effective response rate of 40%. Not surprisingly, respondents indicated Rugby, Netball, Cricket and Soccer as the Top Four Favourite Sports.

Keywords: officials, performance, influence, accountability

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Survey

National

Sport

Adults

Clubs, Community

Amateur, Events, Non-organised, Organised, Professional, Semi-professional

Capability, Delivery, Management, Officiating, Professionals, Volunteers

1906

June 16, 2014