I don’t feel like I have too many things that really bother me, but ARs who can’t bother to wear the proper uniform or assemble a kit with the bare necessities is definitely one of them. Appearance is important since it’s the first clue that players, coaches, and spectators have as to whether you know what you’re doing. If you show up looking like a rag-bag, it’s hard for people to have confidence in your abilities. When I get an AR who wears white socks, shoes that aren’t predominantly black, have their shirt untucked, or such, then I immediately have less confidence in them. After all, how should I expect them to properly apply the LoTG if they can’t even wear a proper uniform?
Now. . .I’m not saying a young (HS-age) referee should build a kit like mine, but I think there are things that EVERY referee MUST have. As such, here is what I feel is the absolute bare minimum that a referee should have -
- A proper short sleeve gold shirt
- Proper black (all black, no stripes) short - with pockets
- Proper socks - black with three stripes across the top are the standard for a basic kit
- Shoes - predominantly black. The more black the better. Logo and minor accents in another color perhaps (preferably white), but the predominant color should be black.
- A whistle (and don’t carry it around your neck or in your mouth as you run, please)
- AR/linesman flags - do not assume the center referee will bring some
- Red & yellow cards
- A watch - with a stopwatch function
- Pens and/or pencils - yes, plural
- A coin - a standard US quarter works just fine
- The proper year USSF badge - given when you certify/recertify
- A bag to carry all that stuff
Wow CSR!!!! That’s a boatload of stuff! How much is that stuff going to cost me? Well, I’m glad you asked! I did some online shopping and whether you buy the referee-specific gear from Official Sports, Law Five, or Olympus (from thewhistleline.com), the contents listed above will set you back about $110.00 total. Each of those dealers have a basic kit, usually containing a basic shirt, basic short, and other items. Add a $15 watch from Wal-Mart and a $30 set of flats from your local sporting goods store and you’re ready to go. Now if we look at that $110, here in Columbus that’s about five games worth of pay. While I think one could get away with only the gold shirt for a while, if you plan to do a few games, it’s worth investing in a black and red shirt. There are also better deals to be had!!! Go to eBay and do a search for “soccer referee”. You can usually find gently used shirts for a significant savings.
So what’s in my kit? OK. . .here’s the big long laundry list -
- Official Sports Gold Pro Short Sleeve Shirt (new style)
- Official Sports Gold Pro Short Sleeve Shirt (old style)
- Official Sports Black Pro Short Sleeve Shirt (old style)
- Official Sports Black Pro Short Sleeve Shirt (new style on order - expected in a couple weeks)
- Official Sports Red Pro Short Sleeve Shirt (new style)
- Official Sports Red Economy Short Sleeve Shirt (old style)
- Official Sports Blue Pro Short Sleeve Shirt (new style on order - due late April)
- Official Sports Gold Economy Long Sleeve Shirt (old style)
- Official Sports Black Economy Long Sleeve Shirt (old style)
- Official Sports Red Economy Long Sleeve Shirt (old style)
- Official Sports USSF-logo shorts (new style)
- Official Sports OSI-logo shorts
- Umbro basic referee shorts
- Three pairs of OSI/USSF socks - (two in new style, one in old)
- For shoes, see the post titled “Preventing The Agony Of The Feet”
- Long-sleeve lycra thermal shirt with mock turtleneck (I do games from March to December and in cold weather, this is EASILY worth the $30!)
- Two sets of red/yellow cards
- Three whistles - the standard Fox40, an Acme Tornado Original, and an Acme Tornado Square. That way the chances are good that my whistle will sound different from that on an adjacent field
- Two watches - both pretty basic with stopwatch functions
- A basic set of AR flags
- Two or three coins. I have some heavier coins from when I was in the Army, plus a couple coins given out at some tournaments I’ve worked.
- Several pens
- A stack of game cards displayed in a previous post
- My book on the LoTG as well as the Guide To Procedures
- A cleat wrench - removable cleats need to be tight in order to be safe and most players don’t think to carry one
- A small air pump and needles to inflate balls
- A ball pressure gauge - was actually given as a trinket to referees at a tournament I did last year - by far the most useful gift I’ve received from a tournament!
- A black baseball cap. While technically not part of the uniform, because I wear glasses I’ve found a cap to be essential on rainy days.
- Long nylon electrical ties - these can be purchased from the local Lowes or Home Depot and I use them to secure nets to goal posts. It’s worth it to me to buy them myself if it saves me the hassle of one controversial goal decision due to a loose net
- A folding step stool - it saves me from sitting on the ground and helps keep my bag off of a wet ground
- Sunscreen
- Bug repellant
- If I’m doing more than two games, I also bring a cooler with liquid refreshments. When doing a tournament, I never assume that they’re supplying beverages to the referees.
Over the course of the year, I’m planning to replace the old-style long sleeve shirts with OSI new-style Pro shirts. And before you start thinking that I’m insane, I don’t currently do high school or college matches. And there are different referee uniform sets for those as well. So while I’m probably a bit insane, I do think it’s absolutely crucial to at least have the basics. I mean we are getting paid for this. . .the least we can do is take it seriously. Don’t we owe the players, coaches, spectators, and the game that much?