Volunteer award for Hartjen: The referee hero from Varrel!

Volunteer award for Hartjen: The referee hero from Varrel!

Andreas Hartjen, an important player in the refereeing at TuS Varrel, has earned the “Stuhrer Wolf” volunteer award with his commitment. The 43-year-old, who lives in Delmenhorst, not only rebuilt the team of referees at TuS Varrel, but also played an active role in youth training in the Diepholz district. The referee team currently consists of ten members, after up to 14 referees were active in the past. In this context, Hartjen emphasizes the essential role of group dynamics and shared leisure activities within the team, which is essential for successful performance on the pitch.

Hartjen began his refereeing career at the tender age of 16 at TuS Hasbergen. After a 12-year break, he took up the whistle again in Varrel in 2022 to revive his passion for refereeing. This year he will whistle around 100 times and also take care of reports and observations of the games. He places particular emphasis on promoting young talent; The youngest course graduate from Varrel is only 13 years old and already whistles appropriately for his age. Hartjen is convinced that referees need social skills and enthusiasm in order to successfully master the challenges of the game.

Young referees and their importance

The training of young referees plays an important role in refereeing. At TuS Stenern a distinction is made between young referees and senior referees. Those under 18 have the opportunity to play in the youth leagues of football district 11. Regular monthly training courses promote your personal development and offer theoretical and practical measures on current football topics, knowledge of the rules and video analysis. The new trainers also report on the advantages of refereeing, offering, among other things, referee equipment, expense allowances and free entry to DFB and Bundesliga games.

• Schiedsrichter-Ausstattung (Trikot, Hose, Stutzen) wird vom Verein gestellt.
• Fahrtkosten zu Spielleitungen werden ersetzt.
• Aufwandsentschädigungen variieren je nach Spielklasse: z.B. 10 Euro für Jugendspiele bis hin zu 5.000 Euro für Bundesliga.
• Schiedsrichter-Ausweis ermöglicht freien Eintritt zu DFB- und Bundesligaspielen.
• Gesunde sportliche Betätigung, Zugehörigkeit zu einer Gemeinschaft und Persönlichkeitsbildung sind weitere Vorteile.

Hartjen plans to continue training referees over the next three to five years in order to keep the number on the team stable. He sees great potential in youth work and wants to continue the enthusiasm for refereeing. His aim is not only to ensure the quality of the referees, but also to strengthen the community within the club. Supporting young referees is a matter close to Hartjen's heart and is also one of his greatest goals.

For anyone who is interested in this responsible task or would like to find out more about it, the monthly training courses and contact with referee representatives like Matthias Zingel are a good starting point for immersing themselves in refereeing.

Those interested can find further information about training and refereeing on the clubs' websites, such as TuS Stenern or in Kreizeitung.