Look professional

Wear the proper uniform.

Have the proper shirt. Note that it is tucked into the shorts. Gold is the primary color shirt and will work for the vast majority of games that you referee. You shirt may be of the style shown here or the newer wide stripe style. Your shirt should not be the same color as either team's uniform or either goalkeeper's shirt. The other colors are Black, Red, Blue and Green. I would suggest starting with a short sleeve gold shirt, then adding a black short sleeve, gold long sleeve, and black long sleeve, in that order before getting the red and blue shirts.

These are referee shorts. Black shorts are required. No stripes or numbers or ribbons along the bottom. Also, the shorts stay above the knees, as described in the USSF Referee Administrative Handbook. I know its difficult for the younger referees, but keep your shorts pulled up to your waist. The hip-hop look is not for the soccer field.

Referee socks are all black with either a two stripe band at mid-calf (the newest style). There are two alternate styles, black with three white stripes showing at the top, or black with the USSF logo at the calf. These are the ONLY style of acceptable socks. Socks are pulled up to below the knee. For now, you will be fine with the three stripe sock. When purchasing new socks, get the new style.

Have the proper year USSF badge affixed to your uniform shirt. There are velcro patches which fit the back of your badges available from Official Sports or other soccer suppliers.

Referee shoes should be black. Keep your shoes clean. Its a good idea to keep some liquid shoe polish and a brush in your bag. For those of you that are younger and also play, I do not require you to purchase new shoes just to referee. You may certainly use your soccer shoes to ref. If you are looking to get shoes to ref in, I suggest a "turf" type shoe. They are a little easier on the feet during a long day of reffing. A good rule of thumb is to wear a shoe which is one level below what the players would wear on that field. For example, if players would wear a firm or hard ground cleat, then wear a turf shoe to ref; if the players would use a soft ground cleat, then you might want to wear a firm ground cleat.

Always have a reliable watch to keep time. Note, this referee has two watches. You just might stop your watch and forget to restart it. Having a second watch gives you a backup You also never know when your watch battery is going to die. Have two watches. It adds to your professionalism.

This referee crew is properly uniformed. Their appearance is neat. Be certain you keep up the high standards we've worked to achieve. Roll over the photo for details.