You can't. Subs return a single list. You could return references to those arrays, though.

sub breakEmailAddress
{
   my ($address) = shift(@_); 
   my @components = split('@', $address); 
   my @counter    = split('@', $address);
   return (\@components, \@counter);
}

my ($first, $second) = breakEmailAddress('john@some.domain.com');
print "FirstArr: @$first\n";
print "SecondArr: @$second\n";
[download]

Don't forget to use my on the arrays, or else you'll always return a reference to the same arrays. Using my forces the creation of new arrays every call.

I removed the & from your subroutine call. Why are you telling Perl to ignore prototypes?

Update: Alternatively, you can pass references to your arrays to the sub, and have it fill up the arrays instead of returning values:

sub breakEmailAddress
{
   my ($components, $counter, $address) = shift(@_); 
   @$components = split('@', $address); 
   @$counter    = split('@', $address);
}

# breakEmailAddress(my @first, my @second, 'john@some.domain.com'); XX
+X

my(@first,@second);
breakEmailAddress(\@first, \@second, 'john@some.domain.com');  # Fixed
+ thanks to shmem

print "FirstArr: @first\n";
print "SecondArr: @second\n";
[download]

Update: Applied shmem's fix.

ikegami,don't submit bugs! ;-)

sub breakEmailAddress
{
   my ($components, $counter, $address) = @_;
   @$components = split('@', $address);
   @$counter    = split('@', $address);
}

my(@first,@second);
breakEmailAddress(\@first, \@second, 'john@some.domain.com');
print "FirstArr: @first\n";
print "SecondArr: @second\n";
[download]

cheers,
--shmem

_($_=" "x(1<<5)."?\n".q·/)Oo.  G°\        /
                              /\_¯/(q    /
----------------------------  \__(m.====·.(_("always off the crowd"))."·
");sub _{s./.($e="'Itrs `mnsgdq Gdbj O`qkdq")=~y/"-y/#-z/;$e.e && print}

"Don't forget to use my on the arrays." This helped to solve a different problem I was facing. Thanks a lot!!

Return an arraylist of array references. See perlref

-- update for pedants :)

<pedant>
You mean a _list_ of array references
</pedant>

--
<http://dave.org.uk>

"The first rule of Perl club is you do not talk about Perl club."
-- Chip Salzenberg

use Data::Dumper;

sub function {
   my @arr_a = (1, 2, 3);
   my @arr_b = (4, 5, 6);

   return (\@arr_a, \@arr_b);
}

my ($arr_a, $arr_b) = function();
print Dumper $arr_a, $arr_b;

__END__
$VAR1 = [
          1,
          2,
          3
        ];
$VAR2 = [
          4,
          5,
          6
        ];
[download]

sub breakEmailAddress
{
        my ($address) = shift(@_); 
        @components = split('@', $address); 
        @counter =  split('@',$address);    
        return (\@components,\@counter); 
}

($first,$second) = &breakEmailAddress('john@some.domain.com');

print"FirstArr=>@$first\n";
print"SecondArr=>@$second\n";
[download]