Interview with football referee Gustav Lorenzo Palm

Gustav Lorenzo Palm are a referee in division 5  in the middle and division 2 as an assistant referee. Gustav tried refereeing when he was 19, but didn't think it was fun at all then. Now, a little more than 10 years later, he loves it. Read the full interview with Gustav below.


– How is the refereeing going Gustav?

– It's going fine. I've refereed upwards 65 games so far this year, so it's been a busy time from January to October. There are usually at least 2 matches a week for me. When I went to step 2 I told myself I won't have more than two games per weekend and that's about what I'm having. Then it always happens that you need and want to help the other referees and i might take a third match. This spring I had a lot of refereeing in Division 5 in the middle. I am also new in that division for this year. Then it has become a little more assistans closer to the summer and autumn. I also referee in division 2 and division 3, as an assistant. I love that combo, it's good to get both parts and I find them both fun and developing for me.


– How long have you been a referee?

– This is the fourth year that I have refereed football. But the first time I tried to be a referee was way back. I think it was when I was nineteen years old, around 2007. It was at a Cup where we in the football team had to referee on 7-a-side. Then I remember very clearly that I didn't think it was funny. I wasn't ready to be a referee. You knew the rules just fine, but then I just went by reactions to the players. I remember a match where I refereed a girls match, 13 year olds maybe. Then it becomes a corner, the ball touches her hand, the defender and she clears it away and I award the corner again. Then she comes up to me and says "it actually touched my hand". Then I just say OK and give a penalty instead... haha. Special, but I didn't go for it at all then because I didn't think it was fun. Dad always said before that "you'll make a good referee", but I didn't listen to it then.


– But now you are refereeing and think it's fun?

– Yes! God yes. It took a couple more years before I signed up for the step 1 course. I found more and more that the referees in the divisions where I played were not of a good standard. I should be able to do better myself, I thought, and signed up for the course. Then it happened quite quickly that I started to think it was funny. At the time I was 29 years old and didn't have many years left to play football. I was more mature for it, I thought it was fun, you earned some extra money and it was clearly better for me to referee than to continue playing football. I was not at all ready to start as a referee when I was 19, but matured a lot in those 10 years. I also got inspiration from, among other things, Jonas Eriksson and other elite referees who were on TV and visible to the outside and, above all, dared to talk about this with around being a referee. That was a big factor in me deciding on it as well and becoming more interested in it. There was more talk about this with referees and it grew. It definitely helped to open my eyes and interest in it.


– Is it good or bad then, this with more focus on the referees?

– I still think it's good, when the referees can explain rules and simplify for those watching, for example. I also think it is good that we referees, at all levels, are out with clubs and associations and explain new rules and so on. Then maybe we shouldn't always be in interviews after matches. But this particular thing with a referee being in the TV studio or like Discovery did with Glenn Nyberg where you got to hang out with him for a whole day, I think that kind of stuff is good. Reportage and other things about the referees make more people interested in it. Then it is raised in a better way and not just around the negative things. Around a specific situation, you don't get the overall picture, not even close.


– You are new as referee in division 5 and took the step two course last year. What did it take to get there?

– Already when I took the step 1 course, I asked what you need to do to advance upwards. Even then I wanted to get further and was interested. The answer I got then was that it is important to train, referee matches, gain experience, show that you want to and above all watch referees at different levels. Maybe not focus mainly on elite-level referees, but look at someone who you think is good and refereed for a while in division 6 or division 5. I did that and then got the chance to do the step 2 course. Then there have been a couple of strange seasons in the past with Corona and so on, but nice with a normal season this year.


– What is the best thing about being a football referee Gustav?

– I think, first of all, that you are still in the football family. I love football, I love being part of a team and that whole thing. Then I knew I couldn't play forever and then it was either to become a referee or a coach. As a referee, I guess you think football is fun and I love being part of that community. It is the most important thing to me and what drives me. Of course, refereeing a match is also fun, but everything around the match is more fun. Going to a match two hours away in a team, you talk about most things but of course about football, that is absolutely the most important thing for me about refereeing football. I can't really see myself without football and refereeing football is fun!


– The season in Sweden is coming to an end, but what are you looking forward to this autumn with the refereeing?

– I set a couple of goals for this year and also had some other smaller goals. For example, at the Gothia Cup, I had the goal of refereeing a final and got to referee a quarter-final for P17 in the A finals, which I was happy with. Then the main goals were to become a regular referee in division 5, make a division 2 debut as an assistant and to referee the P17 Allsvenskan. I have completed the first two and checked them, however, I have not yet refereed the P17 Allsvenskan, but only the league cup for them. On my observation reports I also had a goal and that was to achieve 8.5 in grades as an assistant and head referee. As an assistant, I've made it, but haven't made it as a head referee yet. Then I would also have liked to look forward to getting a test match in Division 4. So the two goals I have not achieved this year yet. But the year is not over yet.


– Do you have any long-term goals?

– It is to go to step 3 in a few years. I have set up a three-year plan to have a slightly longer goal. Then it's to get as high as possible, but I know I have a bit of age against me. I'm turning 34 so referee division 2 you can absolutely do when you are like 40 years old. But my goal that I have in mind is to go step 3, which I think is still achievable. I must have a goal with the refereeing and constantly fight to get there.

– Thank you for your time Gustav and good luck in the future.