Book the best referee of the moment

There are a number of books that always remain interesting for a referee or referee-to-be to read. I will briefly list them here and then explain per book why it is a must-read.

Book football referee

Hey, ref! (Mario van der Ende)

What qualities make a referee good? What are his motivations? How is it that some of them can seemingly effortlessly accompany a bunch of footballers in a game that is played with pleasure, while the other can accompany almost every game they play? whistle bonje on the field? How come such divergent results are noticeable? A strong understanding of all the rules of the game is certainly necessary, but that is only part of the ingredients needed to run the game successfully. Mario van der Ende was one of the best referees in the Netherlands for many years. In “Hey, ref!” he describes all recognizable situations that you can experience during an amateur competition.

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Bjorn (Gerard Braspenning)

Björn takes place at the time of the European Championship 2016. The team of Björn Kuipers is the only Dutch team to go to France. Björn did not get this honor just like that, but has had to work hard for it in previous years when whistling at both national and international high-class competitions. He was previously called up to referee a European Cup final, and he was also used in the final of the Confederations Cup. Until Louis van Gaal intervened, he was also on the shortlist to whistle the final of the 2014 World Cup. The book is also about more than his flute career. Björn Kuipers is not only good on the field, but is also in charge of a very successful Jumbo supermarket empire. He does this with his wife. In addition, he now also spends his days performing as a successful speaker for companies. A performance by him guarantees an energetic and inspired speech. All these parts of his business life are discussed in this book. Described from the experiences of Björn himself, and also seen through the eyes of many others from his business and private environment. “Björn” is a must-read, for referees and other fans.

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Bas Nijhuis (Eddy van der Ley)

Have you always wanted to know how the star football players actually communicate with top referees? How's this going? We see stars like Ronaldo, Suarez and Zlatan pass by and how they react to decisions in a heated match. What things take place around major national and international football matches? Eddy van der Ley describes the unique insights that referee Bas Nijhuis gives him. This turns out to be a unique insight into the refereeing world full of hilarious anecdotes. Bas Nijhuis has a unique style of game management and tells about his domestic and foreign adventures with respect, humor and the necessary self-mockery.

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The Referee (Menno Fernandes)

Menno Fernandes has just been rejected as a football player when a linesman is kicked to death in Almere. He sees an opportunity in this to become a referee and write about his experiences. In this candid book Menno tells with the necessary self-mockery about his experiences during his first season as an amateur referee. Everything comes to him. From what do you do when you are called names to, which referee whistle is the best to use? What do you do when a match turns into an aggressive match? He started writing his column on the back page of the NRC. Here he showed a great writing style and great empathy, so that the column was well received by both footballer and non-footballer.

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Sport and Knowledge – You have an eye for it (Dam Uitgeverij)

Referees can have a very difficult time these days and as a football fan it is difficult to empathize with everything that comes over them. Sport and knowledge – You also have to bundle the stories of various referees, referees such as Björn Kuipers and Kevin Blom. All facets are discussed with good questions, such as their opinion about the new technologies that can be used, or the social issues surrounding whistling and making difficult decisions. We classify the book here under the football books since most of the focus is on football referees, but other sports such as rugby, water polo, hockey, handball, gymnastics, tennis, equestrian sports and judo are also discussed from the same light. Because for none of these sports, time stands still and the referees have to come along. The book mainly consists of interviews with a lot of photos. It is particularly recommended for anyone who wants to start out in the world as an arbitrator and learn from the experiences of others who have practiced the profession before him. It is an inspiring book that you can use in addition to the training as a referee, full of useful approaches and tips.

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The French way (Andre Hoogeboom)

Everyone he played with named Frans Derks the best referee in the Netherlands. Drivers especially thought he was too headstrong. He clearly expressed his opinion and that was often not very pleasant for drivers. He did not let himself be led and whistled in his own way. He even had his own referee outfit designed by Frans Molenaar, the top couturier. Furthermore, he managed to maintain his independence while singing cheerful songs with Willem van Hanegem and partying together with the players of Ajax. He also expressed his opinion in the columns he wrote for Het Parool in which his unsavory opinion about administrators was clearly expressed. Until the 2009 season, Frans Derks was the chairman of the Jupiler League and before that chairman of Dordrecht, NAC and Brevok. This book outlines the life of this passionate man with a strong opinion.

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I, JOL (Chr. Willemsen)

Dick Jol's life has not always been easy and it seems to haunt you. As a street rascal he learned to bite the bullet and later became a professional football player, then one of the better Dutch referees. He also caused a furore in Europe and the rest of the world. However, not all went well. He was suspended on suspicion of gambling on his own matches. Later it turned out that the allegations were false, but how do you get back from that. Even full rehabilitation could not get rid of this dark spot on his blazon and the continuous battle between Dick and the KNVB pulled him deeper into the pit. Now that he is no longer a professional referee, he tells a lot in this biographical book and he has an outlet for his frustrations. If you don't know the story yet, you will read this biography from front to back in one sitting.

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It Sounded Like Hands (Kees Opmeer)

This book is about referee misses and technical aids. The 2010 season is over. But is it all the outcome it should have been? It turns out that mistakes made by referees at crucial moments can strongly influence a result. This book brings that to light. Technical aids were not allowed to be used to correct these mistakes during the match, but Kees and Annelies Opmeer investigated the influence of these mistakes.

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The Rules Of The Game (Pierluigi Collina)

Pierluigi Collina is one of the most popular referees in football this past decade. He has charisma and a heart for the profession, but especially exudes authority on the field. He remains calm and calm, he radiates and knows how to lead a match with a tight hand. No discussion possible! Pierluigi managed to look them in the eye until they tacked on. Four-time referee of the year, named by FIFA. He refereed the 2002 World Cup finals in Korea and Japan, in which Brazil became world champions. In “The Rules of the Game” there are beautiful anecdotes about football and everything surrounding it, but it is also certainly interesting for anyone who works around motivating people, dealing with stress and being the center of attention.

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Fair play… about the rules and the spirit (J. Steenbergen Lilian Vloet)

Not just a book for the referees, but actually for every player. Nevertheless, it is good as an arbitrator to also have a good understanding of what fair play should actually be. What is the line between what is fair and what is unfair during sports competitions? Who makes these rules? Is it the Rules of the Game Committee? Unfortunately it is not that easy. Occasionally it would be more sporty to leave the rules for a while and act on what feels best. In “Fair play….about the rules and the spirit” these different dilemmas are dealt with around the theme of fair play. Using many practical examples, we will consider every aspect of fair play and your understanding of sporting and unsportsmanlike behavior will gradually be increased. It is a handy guideline for players and referees, but even administrators who want to delve into it. You will easily understand and every situation is certainly very recognizable at every level in the sport. The gray area around Fair Play will be clarified after reading this book.

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Twice yellow is red (John Blankenstein)

This is a book about the rules of football as seen through the eyes of top referee John Blankenstein. He explains everything crystal clear, using many examples and anecdotes from his career. He shows you how these rules actually work in practice. Finally you too can explain to your partner how offside works exactly. Furthermore, he does not shy away from dealing with subjects that often cause misunderstanding on the field. For example, how does intentional dropping work and how do you deal with this? What do you do when tackling a free and broken opponent mercilessly? John also discusses some less popular views, such as his idea of ​​doing away with the tackle altogether. While some will say it's the only way to get some real football back in the game, others will completely ignore such an idea. What is left of all the changes that have been made to the rules of the game in recent years? Think, for example, of the rule about playing back to the keeper, tackling a broken opponent and a tackle from behind? Did they actually lead to those anticipated game improvements? What can we expect for the coming years? Help from electronic devices? What are the consequences of that?

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The book recommendations for referees

They were, our book of recommendations for referees. Hopefully there are a few more that you don't know yet and that you can enjoy reading. Enjoy reading!

Also read: these are the best online shops with everything for the referee

Joost Nusselder, the founder of referees.eu is a content marketer, father and loves to write about all kinds of sports, and has also played a lot of sports himself for most of his life. Now since 2016, he and his team have been creating helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with their sports activities.