The older I get (late 30s), the more I believe that referees want one thing more than anything else. It’s not a “four whistle match”. . .it’s not perfect weather. . .it’s not more pay. What I think most referees want is more comfortable footwear. Think about it. The players play one or maybe two matches a day. But on a busy weekend, I’ll do four or five matches a day. So I’m always on the lookout for better and more comfy shoes. Which isn’t particularly easy since I have wide feet.
I’ve come to feel that I need shoes for the following conditions -
- Hard & dry fields - like running in a parking lot
- Nicely manicured fields that are at least a bit soft
- Really wet fields
- A total swamp
For the total swamp, I have an older set of removable cleats. For the “really wet fields”, I have a set of molded cleats. In the last two years, I haven’t worn the removables and have worn the moldeds one day. But I think they’re important to have in order to be prepared. While neither set is particularly beautiful (they are black and acceptable), if I’m wearing these then the conditions are such that the appearance of my footgear is down on the totem pole. And I have yet to find truly comfortable cleats.
For the hard & dry fields, I just picked up a pair of New Balance CM473 (bottom in photo). I’m hoping the added arch support helps to save my knees and ankles. I think these will also be my “AR shoes”. For nice soft fields, I have a set of Adidas turf shoes (Telstar - top in photo). I’ve had these for about a year and a half and they’ve been reasonably comfy. But after a day in them on a hard field, I always feel it. I also got the Adidias black conditioning polish for them to keep them looking pretty. I always seem to get the most milage out of Adidas and New Balance. Last year, I wore a pair of Diadora Referee TF turf shoes (can be found at Official Sports). They weren’t bad, but didn’t wear as well as I’d hoped. They only lasted a year before they show visible wear and were a touch narrow on my feet (which are a bit wide). I still have them and can use them in a pinch. But to be honest, they’re starting to deteriorate.
What shoes have you had the best fit, most comfort, and best wear from?