(8) EFFECT OF GOALS SCORED ON THE MATCH DEMANDS OF LACROSSE OFFICIALS IN FIELD, BOX AND SIXES LACROSSE

Purpose: Lacrosse officials experience varying physical demands based on the specific rules and style of play of each lacrosse variation. Differences in game speed and scoring opportunities may lead to distinct movement patterns and match demands. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to observe the effect of goals scored on the resultant match demands for lacrosse officials for each lacrosse variation. Methods: Thirty match officials (10 females and 20 males; 34.3 ± 8.2 years, 168.4 ± 13.2 cm, 73.4 ± 6.8 kg) were monitored during 96 competitive matches across field lacrosse (FL) (n = 33), sixes lacrosse (SL) (n = 39) and box lacrosse (BL) (n = 24) using GPS technology. Total distance (TD), maximal velocity (MV), running (4-5.49 m/s) distance (RD) (m), high-speed (³5 m/s) running distance (HSRD) (m), high intensity ( >2 m/s²) accelerations (ACC) (#) and decelerations (< -2 m/s²) (#) were recorded. A series of ANCOVAs were conducted with post-hoc analysis, bootstrapped to 1000 samples, to determine differences in match demands for lacrosse officials with the number of goals as a covariate. A network analysis was performed to determine the relationships between GPS metrics and goals scored across each lacrosse variation. Correlation strength for the network analysis was interpreted as follows: trivial (0–0.09), small (0.10–0.29), moderate (0.30–0.49), large (0.50–0.69), very large (0.70–0.89), and nearly perfect (0.90–1.00). Results: Medium-large overall effects were observed within the ANCOVAs (p< 0.001, η²_p > 0.050) for all GPS metrics, with trivial to very large pair wise comparisons (d = 0.07 – 7.04). A large overall effect was observed between lacrosse variations and goals scored (p< 0.001, η²_p = 0.161); FL had significantly fewer goals than SL and BL (d=2.42-3.61), indicating a very large effect size. With significant and large difference between SL and BL (d = 0.93). A small positive association was observed between RD and goals scored in FL, with trivial-small negative associations observed with all other GPS metrics and goals scored. In SL, small-moderate positive associations were observed between MV and goals scored, and TD and goals scored, respectively. Other GPS metrics showed trivial-small negative correlations with goals scored. A moderate negative association was observed between goals scored and MV in BL, with all other associations with goals scored being trivial-small in magnitude (Figure 1). Conclusions: Locomotion demands are largely affected by the lacrosse variation rather than the number of goals scored, although some meaningful associations have been found between goals scored and match demands. Practical Applications: Physical preparation for officials should be tailored to the specific demands of each lacrosse variation. With increased scoring opportunities within SL, officials may experience greater movement demands such as (TD, MV and RD), requiring adjustments in training programs. Acknowledgements: This research project was joint funded by the University of Salford and World Lacrosse.