The German referee duo is officiating together for the first time

As referees in the Partille World Cup, they get to meet others from all over the world.

To ensure a smooth running of the Partille World Cup puzzle, 273 referees are participating this year. Two of them are Lilly Lötje and Hanna Brinckmann from Germany.

In 2024, referees from 17 different nations will participate. Two of them are Lilly Lötje and Hanna Brinckmann. They have not officiated together before but will be working as a pair during the Partille World Cup. Lilly Lötje has previously participated in the Partille World Cup both as a referee and a player; this time marks her third year as a referee. "The best part about officiating at the Partille World Cup is meeting people from different countries and different types of handball players, the various ways coaches train their teams, and also the different ways of officiating matches," says Lilly Lötje.

There is a four-year age difference between them, and 16-year-old Hanna is officiating at the tournament for the first time.

– If you look around, you can quite clearly see which country a referee comes from based on how they officiate. All the different approaches are very interesting because they all seem to work. There are different signals you make on the field, and you communicate differently. You can really learn a lot for your own approach.

Both see officiating at the Partille World Cup as a developmental experience. A recurring theme is communication.
– You learn to communicate with the players because there are many short matches; it’s always a new match, and you have to set boundaries for the players and teams early. With the short time, you really learn how to officiate, says Lilly Lötje.