Referee Uniform

From the 2009-2010 Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game:

5.1 REFEREE UNIFORM
Referees may wear only the gold primary jersey or the black, blue, red, or green alternate jerseys, and may wear only the approved socks. (The term "primary jersey" means only that this is the color all referees must have. It does not mean that the gold jersey must be worn in preference to other colors.) No other colors will be worn without express permission of the USSF. If the uniform colors worn by a goalkeeper and the referee or by a team (or both teams) and the referee are similar enough to invite confusion, the goalkeeper or the team(s) must change to different colors. Only if there is no way to resolve the color similarity must the referee (and the assistant referees) wear the colors that conflict least with the players. Referees and assistant referees must wear the same color jerseys and the same style of socks, and all should wear the same length sleeves. The referee uniform does not include a hat, cap, or other head covering, with the sole exception of required religious head covering. Referees must wear the badge of the current registration year.

Referees should select their shoes with an eye for both utility and appearance. Referees have to run on the field with at least as much speed and agility as do the players, so the shoes should enable them to do this under all field conditions. Players, team officials, and spectators often make initial judgments about the skills and knowledge of the referee based on appearance, and shoes can contribute significantly toward building that reserve of confidence. It is also occasionally important that players, who are frequently looking down at the ground, be able to identify the referee quickly by differences in the shoes. Accordingly, the referee's shoes should be predominantly black, clean, polished, and neatly tied.

Under normal circumstances, it is not acceptable for a game official to wear headgear, and it would never be seen on a high-level regional, national or international competition. However, there may be rare circumstances in local competitions where head protection or sun visors might sensibly be tolerated for the good of the game, e. g., early morning or late afternoon games with sun in the officials' line of sight causing vision difficulties; understaffed situations where an official with sensitive skin might be pressed into service for multiple games under strong sunlight, or a referee who wears glasses needing shielding from rain. Sunglasses would be subject to the same considerations. In addition, we ask referees to remember that sunglasses have the unfortunate side effect of suggesting that the referee or assistant referee is severely visually impaired and should not be working the game. They also limit communication between the officials and the players by providing a barrier against eye-to-eye contact. Sunglasses, if worn, should be removed prior to any verbal communication with players.



Points of Emphases for Tennessee Referees:
  1. When possible, Tennessee Referees are requested to adjust their uniform colors when there is a conflict with team colors.
  2. Referees should dress in the same uniform which includes:
    1. Jersey colors & same length sleeves and
    2. Same style of socks
  3. Referees should not wear any headgear without a significant reason for doing so.
  4. Sunglasses should not be worn without a significant reason for doing so. And if sunglasses are worn, they should be removed prior to any verbal communication with players or match officials.
  5. When temperatures are below 45 degrees or with assignors' approval, referees may wear pants, gloves, head gear, etc. as described here:
    1. Long Pants: All officials must wear the same color and all officials must dress the same.
    2. Gloves: Black
    3. Head Gear: Black referee designed earmuffs or pile (watch) caps.
    4. Other gear approved by the assignor – with emphases on CREW uniformity.