Anybody who thinks refs aren't athletes...

Anybody who thinks refs aren't athletes is sorely mistaken. I ran 37.2 miles refereeing last week. 117k steps. No wonder my legs are sore. One day off then back at it for my Monday fixture (covered 5 miles doing that one).

My experience over this summer... HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE and nutrition are critical for referees

Respect!

2 seasons ago I logged every game. I did over 100 and over 500km

Well done, you'll be needing a service and new oil before long!!!

That's a very big centre circle

The Referee said:

That's a very big centre circle

Click to expand...

And a lot of circuits.......

I've never thought of referees as athletes, but that's maybe because I'm going by the British definition:

Athlete: a person who takes part in competitive track and field events.

Click to expand...

I think many, many referees (especially the better ones) are highly athletic but that doesn't make them athletes for us Brits.

I see however that the US definition is a bit broader and carries the more general sense of:

a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise.

Click to expand...

I guess this is just another case illustrating the (supposedly) Shavian observation that, "The English and the Americans are two peoples divided by a common language."