Felix Brych

Felix Brych is World Referee 2017 & 2021 and 6x German Referee of the Year. In his lectures, he talks about digitalisation in professional football and the courage to make decisions.

Felix Brych was an active referee. He officiated his last Bundesliga match on 17 May 2025 in Augsburg in the match between FC Ausgburg and Union Berlin. Felix Brych refereed matches in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. He has taken part in all major international football tournaments.

He reports from a live perspective, particularly against the backdrop of the introduction of VAR and the transition of football into the digital age. In this context, Felix Brych also addresses psychological aspects in the preparation of decisions and the entire match management. His understanding of business allows him to translate his own experiences from the fast-paced everyday life of football for companies and create analogies.

Felix Brych lecture Topics

Felix Brych shows how the pressure of professional sport influences his work, how he lives with the decisions he makes and the mistakes he makes and still enjoys refereeing matches. You can look forward to inspiring presentations that provide an insight into professional sport. Analogies can be drawn to the economy.

• Digitalisation in football – VAR is just the beginning

Felix Brych was there when VAR was introduced in football, but he also accompanied the test phase. How did this process work? What changes does video evidence bring to football and what does it mean for the players?

• Decisions under pressure and dealing with (nonsensical) rules

Decisions are made in a split second. The preparation of these decisions is essential. Even if most decisions are made intuitively and subconsciously, detailed preparation is possible. Felix Brych has worked with sports psychologists for many years and, based on this work, has developed tools for himself on how to prepare for match management and individual important decisions.

Felix Brych has a doctorate in law. He already established himself as a referee during his studies. He has officiated 359 matches in the German Bundesliga, making him the most used referee in Germany. He has also been a FIFA referee since 2007 and referees international matches as well as matches in the Champions League, where he currently holds the record with 66 appearances in this competition. At EURO 2020, he set another record with a total of five matches. In total, Felix Brych has officiated 101 European Cup matches and 57 international matches.

From a short distance: a look behind the scenes of football

At national and international level, decisions are made in a fraction of a second. Supplements such as the video assistant referee (VAR) are intended to help referees and even correct decisions if necessary. However, video evidence also comes with its own challenges and difficulties. Felix Brych has been involved right from the start and reports on the implementation of VAR.

A football referee is defined by his mistakes. In his presentations, top speaker Felix Brych reveals how you can learn from mistakes and how mistakes made do not prevent you from making new decisions time and time again.