Referee in 3,333 matches – Ludwig Bauer of Gerbronn

Not only does judging mean a lot to him, it means volunteering in general. That is why he made himself available as an official in the Bavarian Football Association for 56 years and has been an honorary officer in the football district of Würzburg since 2000. All this earned him awards. A few years ago, his local club became 1. FC 1917 Gerolzhofen had made him an honorary member. Bauer also worked as a teacher for many years. Not least because of this, he was respected both on and off the field. “I was always sure of the rules, and that also made me confident in myself,” says Bauer.

The whistle has been used for 30 years

How many tubes has he used in the past six decades? “Not much,” he replied, “I’ve used one tube for about 30 years.” He bought it in the UK, where he was enjoying the atmosphere of the big stadium. He describes his curiosity about large squares as a hobby. Ludwig Bauer describes himself as responsible and reliable. He still usually runs five matches a week, and also monitors other matches to assess other referees. He is already 73 years old. “I used to be an athlete, now I have the treadmill and other fitness equipment at home, and I bike regularly, so I’m still in great shape,” he says. He always took pride when the spectators on the sidelines said that he was always on the ball and that some players performed less well than the referee.

Football fool for life

Which is why he didn’t want to give up his job as a referee for so long. His motivation: “I’m just an idiot at football!” He enjoys refereeing youth matches from U13 to U17. “I could still do something with them, a lot of them take tips from me,” says Bauer. Do you still aspire to get 3500. The game started? “I keep going until the player tells his teammate he can make a mistake because the old man with the whistle wouldn’t notice anyway,” Ludwig Bauer says with a smile. This would be the time for his final personal whistle.