Some 65 years ago, there was not a single football association in the world that allowed female referees. Yet in the Netherlands, women were officiating official matches. Three women from Alkmaar made world history. Let’s go back to 11 June 1961, on Adspriantendag (prospective candidates’ day). The annual youth tournament in Alkmaar features around 5,000 boys from northern North Holland. At this tournament, three women – Nel Rentenaar, Ineke Boom and Klazien Laan – refereed official football matches.
Trained in secret for a fair day in June
Rentelaar, Boom, and Laan were secretly trained by the North Holland branch of the KNVB. This was because there was a shortage of youth referees. The idea of asking women came from Teun Bakker, the branch’s administrator. Rentelaar knew Bakker, as they worked together. Boom was invited by Rentelaar, and Laan was a neighbour of a member of the referees’ committee. The national KNVB board was not to be told, as the then-chairman did not want women to play a role in football.
The referee’s kit they wore was black and white, and it was specially made by one of the mothers. The first time they wore that kit was on adspriantendag, the matches were played in bad conditions; it was raining. But that did not stop the women; they all refereed a match on that day. There were no complaints from the boys who played the match, even though they did say that they were strict.
The women certainly set things in motion; for instance, the North Holland branch of the KNVB trained a further 29 female referees. This ultimately led to the KNVB’s national board officially recognising female referees on 3 November 1962. As a result, all female referees trained by the North Holland branch of the KNVB also became the first female members of a football association.
Rediscovering history
On 11 June 2026, exactly 65 years later, a meeting took place between Rentelaar, Boom and Laan’s daughter. They were addressed by the mayor of Alkmaar, Anja Schouten, and questions were asked by sport historian Jurryt van de Vooren. The gathering took place at the Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar. In 2027, the museum will put up an exhibition on the strength of Alkmaar’s women. Rentelaar, Boom and Laan will also feature.
Rentelaar never refereed again after this tournament, as she was more involved with handball. Boom and Laan did continue, as is noted in the KNVB’s 75th-anniversary book. Boom later went on to referee senior matches; the senior players were more critical than the youth players. Laan’s daughter believes her mother refereed until 1970. That was when her brother was born, and the situation at the time meant she could no longer continue. The women’s memories are, however, being recorded. For instance, Laan and Boom’s scrapbooks form part of the Alkmaar archives, and the referee’s kits will be included in the exhibition in 2027.
From history to legacy?
But what did it bring? There are more women referees, but the growth over 65 years is not much. At the 2026 World Cup, there are only 6 women with a referee role: 2 female central referees, 3 assistant referees, and 1 video match official. This had doubled the amount of the last World Cup, when there was only 1 central referee and 2 assistant referees. So it shows that it’s growing, but that’s an example by FIFA. You would expect that UEFA would follow because they had the first women referees back in 2020, but in the 2025/2026 season, there were no women referees appointed to a match. The last UEFA men’s Champions League match refereed by a woman was November 29th, 2023. That was almost 3 years ago. In those 3 years, the number grew; there are more professional women referees now than ever. They show that women are capable of refereeing a professional men’s football match. But they still have to fight every day for a place in the big leagues, just like Rentelaar, Boom and Laan did 65 years ago.
Find out more
You can dig deeper into the story of the Alkmaar women in the book De Vrouwen van ‘61 (Dutch), or read more about the recent event bringing the women together in this report by Professional Football Club AZ.
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