Speed to surround referee -- one gets in the book first (7)
I believe the answer is:
preface
'one gets in the book first' is the definition.
(piece of writing at the start of a book)
'speed to surround referee' is the wordplay.
'speed' becomes 'pace' (pace is a kind of speed).
'to surround' is an insertion indicator.
'referee' becomes 'ref' (synonyms).
'pace' going around 'ref' is 'PREFACE'.
(Other definitions for preface that I've seen before include "Preamble" , "Foreword" , "Opening words" , "Book's introduction" , "Introductory text" .)