A New Face in the Refereeing Team: Marisca Overtoom

15 June 2025

“I would really love to referee in the national men’s divisions as well”

Her sister, Franca Overtoom, was invited to attend the Marveldtoernooi, but couldn’t make it. Franca did, however, know someone else who would enjoy refereeing at the tournament — and that’s how referee Marisca Overtoom came to be part of the Marveldtoernooi.

“My parents felt it was important for us to contribute to society as volunteers. When I saw Franca refereeing, I thought, ‘That looks like fun,’ and ‘I could do that too,’ so that’s how I started refereeing,” Marisca explains. Just like her sister, she is also building an impressive career. “I currently officiate men’s third and second divisions, and the reserve top class, as well as the women’s Eredivisie. I’ve also refereed Women’s Nations League matches.” That’s already quite an achievement, but Marisca is aiming higher. “When I see everything my sister has already done — I would love to achieve that too. Women’s final tournaments, the Olympics, and I would really love to referee in the national men’s divisions,” she says.

She already has some big-event experience under her belt — in front of 55,000 spectators — not as a referee, but as an assistant referee! “I was the 4th official at a women’s match between Germany and Austria, and when the assistant referee got injured, I had to take over and run the line in a full stadium. Flagging is quite different from refereeing, but it went pretty well.”

At the Marveldtoernooi, Marisca refereed three matches, all of which went smoothly. “The most challenging team was definitely Barcelona. They already try to influence the referee in subtle ways — that’s a challenge, but it all went really well.” Her personality and presence certainly played a key role in that.

Marisca is highly enthusiastic about the Marveldtoernooi atmosphere. “I’d really love to come back next year. Great matches, and the vibe here is just fantastic. Also, the way we referees interact with each other is great — we talk a lot, we can learn from each other and support each other.”