Researching one’s own refereeing sports study program: Benefits of an approach based on involvement from the “right” distance

Abstract

As a physical education teacher and a professional referee for the French Football Federation, the author has led the football refereeing program in Auxerre for 14 years. The program offers students the opportunity to specialize in refereeing. In the context of the author’s doctoral research, his duties and responsibilities within the program provide him with greater insight into how a refereeing school operates, notably through his position as an involved researcher, which merits further explanation. His position provides a number of benefits. However, it also offers apparent benefits in terms of access to “proximate fields,” which can turn out to be difficulties. Therefore, the nature of his position requires a process of critical reflection on the right perspective. In other words, there are means and resources available to researcher-actors that can help to limit the impact of the biases generated by having a close relationship to the object of research.