What is Jan de Vries (referee)?
{{Infobox football official | name = Jan de Vries | image = | image_size = | caption = | full_name = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|7|14|df=y}} | birth_place = | death_date = <!-- Use {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} if dead (death date followed by birth date) --> | death_place = | otheroccupation = | years1 = | league1 = | role1 = | internationalyears1 = | confederation1 = [[FIFA listed]] | internationalrole1 = Assistant Referee | internationalyears2 = | confederation2 = | internationalrole2 = }} '''Jan de Vries''' (14 July 1982) is a Dutch football official from [[Gytsjerkster]]. He is on the FIFA referees list since 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2022 Refereeing International Lists |work=[[FIFA]] |url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/7662513a8b75c7cc/original/2022-FIFA-Refereeing-International-Lists.pdf |format=PDF}}</ref> ==Biography== ===Early years=== De Vries was a goalkeeper at the local football team ''Trynwâldster Boys''. When De Vries was twenty years old, he could no longer play football, due to a double leg fracture. At that time he was already a football referee in youth matches, but after his injury he started with a main focus on becoming a referee and took courses. The first time he was referee at the senior competition was in [[Bitgum]] with the match Bitgum against Cambuur '69 that ended with an impressive score of 27-0. At the age of 23 [[Mario Diks]] introduced him at under-21 matches. Eventually De Vries was a referee at the highest level amateur league, where he was referee until 2008. The Dutch Football Federation invited him to become professional, but not as a referee but as an assistant referee (linesman). Although he regretted not being a referee anymore, he accepted the offer.<ref name=ref1>{{cite web|url=https://www.westereender.nl/redactioneel/jan-de-vries-is-als-grensrechter-perfect