They were the first female football referees in the world: Ineke Boom, Nel Harreveld-Rentenaar and Klaziena Laan. They refereed their first matches at a youth tournament in Alkmaar exactly 65 years ago. To celebrate, Ineke (86) and Nel (85) were received at the Stedelijk Museum by Mayor Anja Schouten.
Sports historian Jurryt van de Vooren published a book last year about the illustrious trio, of which Klaziena Laan is no longer alive.
“It turned out that a lot of material had been saved. Photos, reports, stories, minutes. I was able to follow everything that happened behind the scenes before it was arranged to put a woman on the football field.”
Argument about referee shortage
A lot, as it turned out. There was a lot of arguing about the solution to the referee shortage at the time. Women could fill that gap, it was suggested. It even got to the point that the trio secretly took a referee course, during which they were taught the rules.
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Jurryt calls June 11, 1961 the ‘big bang’ in the emancipation of international football. More than a year after the women made their debut, the KNVB finally approved the arrival of female referees. Another first.
“I really enjoyed it,” says Ineke Boom. She was active at the highest level in a completely different sport: handball. “That of course came first. I had to train a lot and be away a lot. But I did want to help set it up.”
Proud of football history
“Now I’m proud of it,” smiles Nel Harreveld-Rentenaar when asked about her world first. “But then… I was 20, I didn’t realize that at all. We did it to help. We were going to referee the youth, so that the men could move up. That was not our intention, it was exclusively for youth matches.”
Next March, the Stedelijk Museum in Alkmaar will present an exhibition about famous women who made and are making a difference. The story about the first female football referees in the world is also included.