Charles Van Veegaete (22 December 1877 – 1956) was a Belgian international referee[1] who was a co-founder, president, and patron of US Tourquennoise, whose stadium now bears his name.
[2][3] In 1913, he was serving as the Secretary of the Football Commission of UST,[5] and he remained an active part of the club until as late as 1923, when the local press stated that "Charles Vandeveegaete, the excellent referee from the North, who has been, for about twenty-five years, the driving force, the very soul of the Union Sportive Tourquennoise".
[6] Van de Veegaete also worked as a sports journalist, writing articles for northerners newspapers, including one about the final of the 1913 USFSA Northern Championship between UST and Olympique Lillois, which ended in a 2–0 win to the latter, but even though it was his club that lost, he showed great sportsmanship by wished good luck to OL and for them to bring the French Cup back to the North.
[5] In 1905, Van de Veegaete became a referee and joined the Regional Arbitration Commission of the North, going on to officiate for more than 20 years,[2] being even a linesman in a friendly international match between France and England on 21 May 1925 at the Colombes.
[7] Van de Veegaete is especially recognized in the world of football for having written one of the first treatises on refereeing, such as L'Arbitre, the first edition of which appeared in the mid-1950s.