The Ref Stop

Non-black ref shirts at grassroots

Just an input from old English referee now refereeing in France.

I never wore black in 25 years, then I was given a match England U17 v Australia U17. Nice!. Anyway the Aussies turned up with the blackest blue you have ever seen, and it was under lights. Lots of bigwigs from the FA at the match as you might imagine. I asked advice about the colours and was told that Australia are in blue so you must wear black. I and my AAs just shrugged, and we kicked off. Almost immediately I got a pass from as Aussie, then another and another!!!! Anyway, I went to the England bench (they were in Red!) and asked if they had any white shirts available. They did, me and the AAs changed to white shirts and all went well. At the end the FA bigwigs congratulated me on my quick thinking to change colour!!!!!!

Anyway after that I got a yellow shirt and always carried it in my bag, and it got used a few times in the next 8 years!

Now in France like most other European (and world) countries, the referees can wear any colour that does not clash. Now after 12 years I have blacks, yellows, blues, reds, greens, violet, grey and orange. It is great fun deciding before the match what colour to wear, think my favourite is sky blue, but also like the violet and orange.
 
The Ref Stop
Ciley Myrus said:
Nothing wrong with any colour which seperates you from a team, as per the lotg!
Click to expand...

That's the wrong way round. It doesn't say that Referees must wear different colours to the teams. Law 4 states that
"The two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other
and also the referee and the assistant referees
• Each goalkeeper must wear colours that distinguish him from the other
players, the referee and the assistant referees"

The referee changing may be common sense but it's not in the LOTG and it may be prohibited by the CFA.

The English FA have always had an issue with black kits, and insisted that Referees must wear them so therefore players cannot. The only exception to this is if a particular league has applied for dispensation for their teams to wear black and the match officials to wear other colours. Until last year this dispensation was always refused except for the top 5 divisions in the country. When doing academy games for premier league teams they had to provide alternative colours for the match officials because we weren't allowed to use anything apart from black kit so would never have it.

Now the FA have decided that county FAs can decide whether to allow other kit or not. If the county decides that they will allow it then individual leagues can decide whether they will allow it or not. Whether we agree or not if the county FA state that only black kit may be worn then that's it.
 
markref said:
That's the wrong way round. It doesn't say that Referees must wear different colours to the teams. Law 4 states that
"The two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other
and also the referee and the assistant referees
• Each goalkeeper must wear colours that distinguish him from the other
players, the referee and the assistant referees"

The referee changing may be common sense but it's not in the LOTG and it may be prohibited by the CFA.

The English FA have always had an issue with black kits, and insisted that Referees must wear them so therefore players cannot. The only exception to this is if a particular league has applied for dispensation for their teams to wear black and the match officials to wear other colours. Until last year this dispensation was always refused except for the top 5 divisions in the country. When doing academy games for premier league teams they had to provide alternative colours for the match officials because we weren't allowed to use anything apart from black kit so would never have it.

Now the FA have decided that county FAs can decide whether to allow other kit or not. If the county decides that they will allow it then individual leagues can decide whether they will allow it or not. Whether we agree or not if the county FA state that only black kit may be worn then that's it.
Click to expand...


I am well aware of the law. If you want to get a whole team to change so you can wear black, thats great. Standing away from the book, common sense says you change
If your own ref association would not support you wearing any colour to avoid a clash then they are not fit to represent you. Ask them to grab the keys to their garaged Delorean and move into this century. Talk about making a simple thing hard
 
markref said:
Now the FA have decided that county FAs can decide whether to allow other kit or not. If the county decides that they will allow it then individual leagues can decide whether they will allow it or not. Whether we agree or not if the county FA state that only black kit may be worn then that's it.
Click to expand...

The league is affiliated to London FA but I am registered with Amateur FA. Which CFA's rules do I need to obey in terms of what colour shirt I am allowed to wear?

I'm perfectly happy to wear any colour. I just don't want to break any rules I should be adhering to.
 
Trip said:
The league is affiliated to London FA but I am registered with Amateur FA. Which CFA's rules do I need to obey in terms of what colour shirt I am allowed to wear?

I'm perfectly happy to wear any colour. I just don't want to break any rules I should be adhering to.
Click to expand...

League rules I reckon, as long as they don't contravene the LOTG.
 
Trip said:
The league is affiliated to London FA but I am registered with Amateur FA. Which CFA's rules do I need to obey in terms of what colour shirt I am allowed to wear?

I'm perfectly happy to wear any colour. I just don't want to break any rules I should be adhering to.
Click to expand...

The CFA the league is affiliated with. I'm Lincolnshire FA and the don't allow colourer shirts, but I referee on the Peterborough Saturday League they ae affiliated to Northamptonshire FA and the do allow coloured shirts.
 
Ciley Myrus said:
I am well aware of the law. If you want to get a whole team to change so you can wear black, thats great. Standing away from the book, common sense says you change
If your own ref association would not support you wearing any colour to avoid a clash then they are not fit to represent you. Ask them to grab the keys to their garaged Delorean and move into this century. Talk about making a simple thing hard
Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with the laws of the game. Teams at Football League and above in England are not allowed to wear all black or predominately black kits, this still remains the case even after some counties have allowed referees to use ONE different colour. If your county hasn't allowed that one extra colour then the team change as they are not allowed to wear the kit they are wearing. If the other team are wearing the same colour as that county's alternative kit then the team in black change (and I don't mean the officials … :))

Whatever you think about CFA's decisions to not allow referees to wear different coloured kits is irrelevant, as the regulations in England are totally clear that teams cannot wear black, and that includes keepers.
 
The problem in England is that, as always, the FA completely bottled out of making a strong decision about changing their regulations to allow non black shirts......instead they fudged it by leaving it down to each CFA to make the decision.

As most CFAs have to dust off the relics that form their committees, we got the expected mixed bag of results. Some CFAs allowed non black shirts, but many simply couldn’t handle the thought of change (having only just recently accepted that women are now allowed to vote etc) and poo poo’d the whole idea, telling us it was for our own good etc.
 
Isn't that the same FA that on 5 December 1921 the FA cited strong opinions about football's unsuitability for females. It called on clubs belonging to the associations "to refuse the use of their grounds for such matches". The ban changed the course of the women's game forever.

Despite this a few female teams continued for a while. In 1937 the Dick, Kerr Ladies played Edinburgh City Girls in the Championship of Great Britain and the World, winning 5-1. Lily Parr became one of the greatest scorers in English history, netting more than 1,000 goals during a 31-year career. However, the women's game soon became overshadowed by the return and growth of the male game.

In 1971 the FA finally lifted the ban on women's football. In the same year UEFA recommended the women's game should be taken under the control of the national associations in each country. This move signalled the start of a female football revival, not only in Britain but across Europe and the rest of the world.......... They are dinosaurs as Padders says!!! They couldn't run a bath never mind pick some fancy colours out!!
 
Sheffields Finest said:
Isn't that the same FA that on 5 December 1921 the FA cited strong opinions about football's unsuitability for females. It called on clubs belonging to the associations "to refuse the use of their grounds for such matches". The ban changed the course of the women's game forever.

Despite this a few female teams continued for a while. In 1937 the Dick, Kerr Ladies played Edinburgh City Girls in the Championship of Great Britain and the World, winning 5-1. Lily Parr became one of the greatest scorers in English history, netting more than 1,000 goals during a 31-year career. However, the women's game soon became overshadowed by the return and growth of the male game.

In 1971 the FA finally lifted the ban on women's football. In the same year UEFA recommended the women's game should be taken under the control of the national associations in each country. This move signalled the start of a female football revival, not only in Britain but across Europe and the rest of the world.......... They are dinosaurs as Padders says!!! They couldn't run a bath never mind pick some fancy colours out!!
Click to expand...
Interesting, but a complete tangent. Name one person currently working for the FA that was working for the FA on the 5th December 1921?
 
If your either banning teams or officials from wearing certain colours on the grounds of tradition then somebody is stuck in 1921
 
Last edited:
GraemeS said:
Interesting, but a complete tangent. Name one person currently working for the FA that was working for the FA on the 5th December 1921?
Click to expand...
Have you seen a photo of the board?

Ciley Myrus said:
If your either banning teams or officials from wearing certain colours on the grounds of tradition when somebody is stuck in 1921
Click to expand...
We know - That's the problem! Anyone interested in advancement who does not conform will find it very hard to do so.
 
And refs are actual scared to wear a diff colour for fear of punishment?

I find it incredible to fathom that nobody would challenge that
 
Ciley Myrus said:
And refs are actual scared to wear a diff colour for fear of punishment?

I find it incredible to fathom that nobody would challenge that
Click to expand...
I don't understand why anyone would want to challenge it?

I have a black kit, I turn up and referee the game knowing that no team I turn up at will be wearing a black kit. I'm not really bothered about wearing bright colours to make myself stand out.
 
GraemeS said:
I don't understand why anyone would want to challenge it?

I have a black kit, I turn up and referee the game knowing that no team I turn up at will be wearing a black kit. I'm not really bothered about wearing bright colours to make myself stand out.
Click to expand...


Must be a total diff mindset. Am much happier having freedom of choice
 
Ciley Myrus said:
Must be a total diff mindset. Am much happier having freedom of choice
Click to expand...
I honestly don't care what the colour is, but I like the simplicity of only having to have a single shirt ready. If my CFA decided that the one and only colour I can wear is flourescent green, yellow and pink tartan, that's what I'd wear. If they told me I'm now expected to turn up with a range of 5 shirts with matching shorts, socks and undershirts, then I'd be kicking off and sending some very unhappy emails!
 
Here in France every referee is affiliated to a local club. The referee's club buys the referee a new kit at the start of each season, excluding the referee's first season when he is expected to get his own to show commitment.

The referee will never be appointed to officiate his affiliated club (which is usually, but not always, his local club), except for friendlies.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top