Interview with Belgium referee Wesley Coenen

Meet Wesley Coenen who started refereeing for 5 years ago. Wesley played football for over 20 years, and then got some injuries and decided to quit playing. He wanted to stay in the sport he loves and then went to the refereeing course. He tells us that when he became a referee, that's one of his best decisions ever. Read the full interview below about how it is to combine being a police officer in Belgium, father of two and a referee.

– Who is Wesley? Tell us more about yourself!

– I am 39 years old. I am a father of two kids, married for four years now and I have been together with my wife for like 18 years. I am born and have been living in Belgium all the time. I work as a police officer, traffic police for over 12 years. And all this I do in combination with being a referee mostly during weekends. Refereeing is important for me, and I also like sports in general, like cycling and skiing in Austria. Refereeing is more than just a hobby for me.


– For how long have you been a referee?

– Not for so long. I started the referee education in 2019. And during those years Covid-19 was active, so it’s gone fast for me. I started 2019 with U15 and after that it's been going fast. I have also been a football player and played over 20 years. I got injuries and other stuff so I quitted and then I decided to be a referee. Don’t ask we why, it just popped up somehow in my head and I went to the referee education. Best decision ever. Now I am a referee in the highest regional level, 1P, and assistant referee in the third national division 3D. I referee international friendly matches for the youth academy of KRC Genk almost every week. This from U14 to U23. Last year I had the opportunity to referee in the Al Abtal International Cup, U21, this was the match in the group stage KRC Genk - AEK Athens. This was a great experience because of the high level. The higher the level, the faster you learn things.


– Ok Wesley, you said “don’t ask me why” … That’s why we will ask you: Why did you started refereeing?

– As a player I was annoying against referees. Every single match I got a yellow card for protesting against the referee and his or hers decisions. I have never, ever, before 2019 thought about being a referee myself. In 2019 I saw an advertising on Facebook I think, from Belgium Football Federation and the advert said something like “We have lack of referees and would you like to become one…”. I wanted to stay in football and still be a part of that family. And I told myself “Why not, let’s give it a try”. That’s one of the best decisions I ever made. If I could turn back the time I would have started earlier, like when I was 15 years old or something.



– Being a referee and a police officer is not the same, but you need to have the same skills maybe. Manage difficult situations and be calm. Right?

– That’s one of my best qualities I would say, I always keep calm. I never get disoriented in situations, I always have full focus. I can easily turn off and don't listen to the crowd and surrounding things in situations and focus on the things I need to focus on – like the players, the call for a specific tackle and the coaches and so on. I only focus on the field, and that’s it. It is almost a little bit of relaxing for me to referee a game. Every single game I come with a big smile, and I always leave with a big smile. Even if it’s a tough game for me, it doesn’t matter, I just do my game and I enjoy it. After the game I leave with a smile and focus on next thing.


– How is it to combine refereeing with two kids, wife and being a police officer?

– My wife supports me! I must keep a good schedule and sometimes I need to plan a day off from refereeing to spend time with my family, they are still the most important thing for me. When I leave for my games, my wife takes care of everything else, but also refereeing and training gives me energy for the rest of the things in my life. I can focus on the family, work, and other things better. Being a referee is easier to combine, and still be a part of that football family, compared with being an active player or coach for example. We have one training per month together here in Belgium. And on other days I can train when the kids are sleeping and so on. But if your family doesn’t support you with being a referee – forget about it. I am super grateful for my wife and the support I get.


– What’s your goal with refereeing?

– My ambition is to reach divisions D3 & D2 in the short term as a head referee. I'm sure I can handle this without any problems. Now I still have 10 years to stay in top condition. The best form I have ever been is at this moment. I am in better form than I was as a football player – for sure. I hope it’s possible for me to go higher soon, but we will see what happens in 2024 – 2025. If I ever have to stop, I would like to encourage youth to become referees. I would like to start a project and recruit and guide young referees. I am currently preparing a presentation to give within clubs.


– One goal can maybe be to prove them wrong in terms of age?

– They often say that my age is against me. Even though I am 39 years old, I still feel like 25 years old. We’ll see what happens in the future. I like being a referee and I enjoy it so much. But yes, that’s maybe my goal then. Too go up one level at least. Let’s go for it! I have so much experience from live and work that I have an advantage in my games, it keeps me calm and gives me the confident I need to handle a match, at least most of the times in a good way.


– We know that you use Refcom II during your games Wesley. What do you think about Refcom II?

– I had another brand and system before this, a cheaper model. I can only say that Refcom II is fantastic. The audio is very good, the noise cancelling is awesome. I had a game with a lot of wind and rain, but the audio and quality were still perfect. I do not use any tape at all anymore. The earpiece and headsets fit so good and stays there. Also, the microphone is good. I am glad that I upgraded to it. I saw a conversation on social media with referee here in Belgium, what they preferred and so on. They asked each other “What are you going to buy” and so on. One referee said “Refcom II and Spintso”. So, I went to your website and thought that could work well, so I bought it. It’s very nice. One other important thing I like is that I only need to start them up, no pairing anymore. I like it!

3 quick questions for Wesley:

1. Favorite top player from Belgium, all time?
   
   Wesley: Vincent Kompany.
   
   
2. Favorite football team, in the hole world?
   
   Wesley: Real Madrid.
   
   
3. Favorite whistle as a referee?
   
   Wesley: Fox 40. I have black, red, and green color.

Thank you Wesley and good luck with everything.