DIRECTIONS FOR APPLYING PROGRESSIVE IDEAS FROM THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE OF THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF BASKETBALL REFEREES IN UKRAINE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31891/pcs.2026.3.2Keywords:
professional development, basketball referees, American experience, competency-based approach, continuous professional development, digital technologiesAbstract
The article examines the directions for applying progressive ideas from the American experience of the professional development of basketball referees to improve the national system of sports officiating in Ukraine. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to modernize the professional training of referees in accordance with contemporary international standards through the implementation of the competency-based approach, digital technologies, and effective organizational and pedagogical mechanisms for professional development. The purpose of the article is to identify and scientifically substantiate promising directions for applying progressive ideas from the American experience of the professional development of basketball referees to improve the corresponding system in Ukraine. The study employed a set of general scientific and specialized research methods, including analysis, synthesis, generalization, and comparative pedagogical analysis of scholarly literature, regulatory documents, and the practices of professional development systems for basketball referees in the United States and Ukraine. The findings indicate that the American model of referees' professional development is characterized by continuous learning, a multi-level career advancement system, a competency-based certification model, extensive use of digital technologies, video analysis, mentoring, psychological training, and systematic evaluation of professional performance. Based on the research findings, promising directions for adapting the American experience to the Ukrainian context were identified, including the introduction of a continuous professional development system, digital learning platforms, centralized referee performance evaluation, a competency-based certification model, mentoring programs, modern approaches to psychological and physical training, and the expansion of international cooperation. It is substantiated that the comprehensive implementation of these directions will contribute to improving the quality of referees' professional training, enhancing the objectivity of officiating, and integrating the Ukrainian sports officiating system into the international professional community.
References
MacMahon, C., & Weissensteiner, J. R. (2024). Career development of officials. In T. Webb, D. J. Hancock, P. Phillips, & J. K. Tingle (Eds.), Managing and Developing Sports Officials: Officiating Excellence (1st ed., pp. 69–82). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003370987-9
Mascarenhas, D. R. D., Birtwhistle, J., & Martindale, A. (2022). First-person video recordings with eye tracking glasses and cognitive task analysis as a framework for referee decision training. Managing Sport and Leisure, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2022.2134186
Plessner, H., Schweizer, G., Brand, R., & OHare, D. (2009). A multiple-cue learning approach as the basis for understanding and improving soccer referees decision making. In D. Raab, J. G. Johnson, & H. R. Heekeren (Eds.), Progress in Brain Research (Vol. 174, pp. 151–158). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6123(09)01313-2
Webb, T., Hancock, D. J., Weston, M., Warner, S., Helsen, W. F., MacMahon, C., … Tingle, J. K. (2025). The future for sport officiating research: an expert statement. Managing Sport and Leisure, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2025.2468711
Cunningham, I., Kittel, A., & Larkin, P. (2026). Play on! Towards an understanding of sports officials entry to officiating and talent development. Managing Sport and Leisure, 31(2), 380–387. https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2024.2305893
Plessner, H., & Haar, T. (2006). Sports performance judgments from a social cognitive perspective. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7(6), 555–575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2006.03.007
Guillén, F., & Feltz, D. L. (2011). A conceptual model of referee efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, 25. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00025
Anshel, M. H., Kang, M., & Jubenville, C. (2013). Sources of acute sport stress scale for sports officials: Rasch calibration. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 14(3), 362–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2012.12.
Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2019). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (7th ed.). Human Kinetics.
Mascarenhas, D. R. D., Collins, D., & Mortimer, P. (2005). Elite refereeing performance: Developing a model for sport science support. The Sport Psychologist, 19(4), 364–379. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.19.4.364
Avugos, S., MacMahon, C., Bar-Eli, M., & Raab, M. (2021). Inter-individual differences in sport refereeing: A review of theory and practice. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 55, Article 101926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.101926
Sabag, E., Morgulev, E., Raphaeli, M., & Bar-Eli, M. (2026). Teamwork among NBA referees: An analysis of three-person officiating mechanics and decision-making accuracy. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541251414618
Webb, T., Hancock, D.J., Phillips, P., & Tingle, J.K. (Eds.). (2024). Managing and Developing Sports Officials: Officiating Excellence (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003370987
Livingston, L. A., Cunningham, I., & Forbes, S. L. (2023). Using technological innovation to manage and develop sport officials. Managing Sport and Leisure, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2023.2166575
Manilo, Yu. V. (2015). Pidhotovka arbitriv riznoi kvalifikatsii do profesiinoi diialnosti v futboli (Avtoreferat dysertatsii kandydata nauk z fizychnoho vykhovannia ta sportu, Lvivskyi derzhavnyi universytet fizychnoi kultury).
Pomeshchykova, I. P., Tykhonov, A. I., & Chucha, N. I. (2019). Pidhotovka suddiv v basketboli: navchalnyi posibnyk. Kharkiv. URI http://repository.ldufk.edu.ua/handle/34606048/29535
Moseichuk, Yu., & Dariichuk, S. (2024). Osnovy formuvannia komunikatsii u pidhotovtsi suchasnoho futbolnoho arbitra. Physical Culture and Sport: Scientific Perspective, 1(1), 73–77. https://doi.org/10.31891/pcs.2024.1.10
Pavliuk, Ye. O. (2017). Teoretychni i metodychni zasady profesiinoho stanovlennia maibutnikh treneriv-vykladachiv u protsesi fakhovoi pidhotovky (Avtoreferat dysertatsii na zdobuttia naukovoho stupenia doktora pedahohichnykh nauk, Khmelnytskyi natsionalnyi universytet). Khmelnytskyi
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Вадим СІРИЙ
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
