Rugby refereeing requires its practitioners to possess certain qualities. MacIntyre (1981) emphasises the importance of moral goods defined with respect to a community of virtuous persons engaged in a social practice. Whereas a virtue ethics account of playing and coaching has evolved (Brown, 1990; McNamee, 1995), little philosophical work exists on the role and status of elite match officials. The significance attached to the outcome of elite sport contests provide principled and instrumental reasons as to why this particular sporting aspect requires attention. Existing sports officiating research deals primarily with psychological (Bar-Eli et al., 1995; Boyko et al., 2007; Nevill et al., 2002; Weinberg et al., 1990) and physiological issues (Castagna et al., 2007; Inácio da Silva et al., 2008; Reilly et al., 2006). This work does little to explain the role and function of elite officiating. This interpretive study aims to enhance role understanding within a MacIntyrean framework, using elite Rugby Union officiating in Wales as its particular context. It examines the extent to which elite Rugby officiating can be considered part of a social practice by investigating the elite referee’s role as an arbitrator of justice and fairness and other responsibilities that may constitute the internal goods and virtues that safeguard the game. This analysis provides principled foundations for identifying those aspects of the referee development structure that represent ‘good practice’ and those that require reform. Key findings suggest (i) that Rugby refereeing is unique within sports officiating, (ii) that officiating is an integral yet imprecisely understood part of the practice; what Morgan (2007) refers to as a social collaboration and (iii) that greater interactivity between playing, coaching and officiating would enhance the growing understanding of Welsh Rugby as a commodified product. Subsequent recommendations include implementing a holistic approach to developing the game through the creation of a Rugby triumvirate and maximising the limited resources in the referee development process through early talent identification.

Bakgrund Fotboll är Sveriges populäraste sport och har över en halv miljon utövare. Det står för en tredjedel av hela den svenska idrottsrörelsen. Med ett stort antal aktiva fotbollsspelare behövs även domare. Domare har inte alltid varit en självklar del av spelet utan introducerades först när fotbollen professionaliserades. Likt fotbollsspelare, drabbas även fotbollsdomare av skador.  Syfte Syftet med studien var att undersöka skadepanorama hos fotbollsdomare. Metod  Studien genomfördes genom en retrospektiv enkätundersökning med 265 (N=265) fotbollsdomare. Resultat Totalt deltog 265 domare varav 214 män och 51 kvinnor. Totalt rapporterade 103 av 265 domare att de drabbats av skador (68 män och 23 kvinnor). Domarna drabbades främst av överbelastningsskador (80 domare) men akuta skador rapporterades också av 20 domare. Smygande debut var den vanligaste skademekanismen men muskelsträckning och muskelbristning rapporterades också. Domare drabbades främst av skador i nedre extremitet såsom hamstrings, vader, knän. Det fanns ingen signifikant skillnad mellan typ av skador i förhållande till nivån som domaren dömer. Både domare och assisterande domare drabbades i samma utsträckning av skador och hade samma skadelokalisation. Diskussion Vid retrospektiva undersökningar finns svårigheter att återge skador som har hänt bakåt i tiden. Val av annan undersökningsmetod hade därför kunnat tydliggöra och differentiera de skador som domarnas drabbas av. Konklusion Resultaten av studien är i linje med tidigare studier om skador hos fotbollsdomare. Många domare drabbas av överbelastningsskador med smygande debut främst i nedre extremitet såsom hamstring, vader och knän. Utifrån resultatet i den här studien rekommenderas utveckling, implementering och utvärdering av evidensbaserade skadeförebyggande träningsprogram såsom FIFA 11+. / Abstract Background Football is Sweden's most popular sport and has over half a million athletes. It accounts for a third of the entire Swedish sports movement. With a large number of active football players, referees are also needed. Referees have not always been an obvious part of the game but were only introduced when football was professionalized. Like football players, football referees also suffer from injuries.  Purpose  The purpose of the study was to investigate the injury panorama in football referees.  Method The study was conducted through a retrospective survey with 265 (N = 265) football referees. Results A total of 265 referees participated, of which 214 men and 51 women. A total of 103 out of 265 reported that they had suffered from injuries (68 men and 23 woman). The referees were mainly affected by overload injuries (80 referee) but acute injuries were also reported (20 referee). Gradually occurred injuries is stated as the most common injury mechanism but muscle sprain and strain were also common. Referees suffered mainly from injuries to the lower extremities such as hamstrings, calves and knees. There were no significant results between the type of injuries in relation to the level of refereeing. Both referee and assistant referee suffered from injuries to the same extent and on the same location of the body. Discussion In retrospective examinations, there are difficulties in reproducing injuries that have occurred back in time. The choice of another examination method could therefore have clarified and differentiate the referee’s injuries.  Conclusion The results of the study are in line with previously reported injury-related complaints. Many Referees were affected by overuse injuries that occurred gradually, mainly in the lower extremity. Based on the results of this study, the development, implementation and evaluation of evidence-based injury prevention training programs such as FIFA 11+ are recommended.