In the series “My first pitch”, prominent footballers return to their roots. This time also a referee – namely Thorsten Kinhöfer from SV Holsterhausen.

Everyone has that one club where it all began. In the case of former referee Thorsten Kinhöfer, it was SV Holsterhausen. This series has already appeared in the print editions of Forecasting. Now it’s also finding its way online – with a slight time delay. But the first club always remains the same.

In an interview with RS, Kinhöfer recalled his first station: “That was as a goalkeeper at SV Holsterhausen and DSC Wanne-Eickel. As a minor, I was able to whistle for youth games on Saturdays and play myself on Sundays in the B and A youth teams. When I came out of the A-youth, I was faced with the decision: play district league at 3 pm or whistle district league at 3 pm? That was a big question of conscience for me.”

What tipped the scales in favor of refereeing?

“As a child, I had an elbow fracture and after ten years as a goalkeeper on cinder pitches, I already had knee problems. So I decided to concentrate on the job of refereeing. If that hadn’t worked out, I would have been able to play soccer again at the age of 22 or 23. But if I had only played for five or six years, my refereeing career would have been ruined. In that respect, I made the right decision at the time. “