A&H

Wear this ref

Ref Luke 2203

Active Member
Level 5 Referee
My match on Sunday, I was in the normal black kit. Home team wore dark navy blue tops. Away team in gold tops. Both teams in black shorts and socks. Half time comes and a few of away team players ask me to put on a bid as because of the low sun, they couldnt tell difference between me and the opposition. I was too happy about the idea but understanding. No team had bibs anyway so that wasnt happening. Away manager then approaches asking me to wear their spare goalkeepers shirt. I told him no. Not even considering that as acceptable. He tried the 'last weeks red did and thought it was a good idea'. Game carried on. Not many complaints after.

Not much I could do about a kit clash. I didnt see any clash in tops although all having black shorts and socks doesnt help, with no alternatives available at that level.

Would anyone of chose to wear the goal keepers top? Was I too harsh? I dont think so but opinions welcome.

Alternatively, would you of wore a neutral bib if available?

I do not have a different coloured ref top as we arent allowed them in our county.
 
The Referee Store
No, no and no to the three question.

I carry 4 different colour tops though.

If I was allowed to wear them, I would invest and carry different coloured tops. As the county tell us we must wear black, thats what I wear. Glad you agree. And no matter how much the manager claims it, im sure 'last weeks ref' didnt think it was a good idea either!
 
No, no and no to the three question.

I carry 4 different colour tops though.
yeah, we were able to carry a couple. Sometimes I still couldn't avoid a kit clash, so then the team changes (and this is why you need to either know or have access to your competition rules, to know which team changes). I'm not wearing a bib. A goalkeeper's shirt is completely out of the question (and bear in mind that if you do that, then you're not wearing your RA logo anymore - could that have issues with insurance if something happens?)
 
I would never wear a bib nevermind a spare keeper kit. If the county/league only allows the referee to wear black then the teams need to know that and have appropriate kit. Your response was absolutely fine.

However - forgetting the clash with you, It sounds like there was a kit clash between the teams and at the lower levels it is usually the home teams responsibly to change as they are more likely to have alt kit close. I would never let teams play with the same colour shorts and socks as each other - makes judging fouls impossible.
 
I would never wear a bib nevermind a spare keeper kit. If the county/league only allows the referee to wear black then the teams need to know that and have appropriate kit. Your response was absolutely fine.

However - forgetting the clash with you, It sounds like there was a kit clash between the teams and at the lower levels it is usually the home teams responsibly to change as they are more likely to have alt kit close. I would never let teams play with the same colour shorts and socks as each other - makes judging fouls impossible.

I did ask the question of both teams whether they had any alternative socks as this would of simplified the situation but at this level they didnt have it. I was even asked before the game if I had a spare pair of socks as a player left theres at home!!!

The game was played and luckily no issues came from mistaking whos leg was whose. I will read the league rules again as this was something I wasnt sure about.

On the bright side it was 2 teams wanting a good game of football. Ended 6-4 to the away team. Plenty of goals, not many fouls, not even a bit of dissent, handshakes all round at the end!
 
I had a similar scenario this weekend.
I’ll never understand why teams use black when they know the ref wears it.
I didn’t have rules to hand (was filling in for a last minute dropout so didn’t even know the teams etc until I arrived).
I put a red top on to avoid the clash as one team had black and white stripes and the sun was awful.
By the time they asked me I had already been passed to a few time lol.
I decided to put red on as I didn’t see an issue. I didn’t want to clash.
 
My RDO advised us that we must wear black. However, just like the 'corner flag' nonsense, (he admitted) it would be better for us to wear a different colour rather than abandon a game, but only if there's no option. I therefore carry a yellow shirt with FA badge just in case
 
No subject in history makes referees spit out their Weetabix more than asking them to wear a bib....
Sleep with my missus, take my mum out for Dinner but I draw the line at donning anything but my regular top! 😻
 
From Standard Code of Rules
No Player, including the goalkeeper, shall be permitted to wear black or very dark shirts.

From Law 4
The two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other and the match officials

Whichever numpty at the league or CFA allows them to play in dark jerseys is at fault. If the away team cannot recognise which is you and which is them - unlucky, they should complain about the kit to the league. Please do not wear a bib, ever - it makes you look like the equivalent of the a "supply teacher referee" :p

Perhaps the home team should invest in different shorts and socks....
 
Whichever numpty at the league or CFA allows them to play in dark jerseys is at fault. If the away team cannot recognise which is you and which is them - unlucky, they should complain about the kit to the league. Please do not wear a bib, ever - it makes you look like the equivalent of the a "supply teacher referee" :p

Perhaps the home team should invest in different shorts and socks....
My first game of this season, home team wearing black tops, shorts and socks! If i didn't have a yellow referee change kit, the game would have been off
Apparently, this brand new black kit had been approved by the league in a County in which refs must wear black ffs !!
 
My first game of this season, home team wearing black tops, shorts and socks! If i didn't have a yellow referee change kit, the game would have been off
Apparently, this brand new black kit had been approved by the league in a County in which refs must wear black ffs !!
That’s just bonkers. How does the league expect that to work in the long term?
 
That’s just bonkers. How does the league expect that to work in the long term?
I don't know. It was a Sunday League that I'm not registered with. One of the best Sunday teams in the County however, multiple Senior Challenge Cup winners
 
My first game of this season, home team wearing black tops, shorts and socks! If i didn't have a yellow referee change kit, the game would have been off
Apparently, this brand new black kit had been approved by the league in a County in which refs must wear black ffs !!

Was there another colour on the kit or was it all black? The league may not have realised what it actually looked like. We had a team who played in all black with red pin stripes along the arms and collar, but when they registered their kit with the FA put it down as red and black. By the time anyone realised they'd bought the kit and pleaded poverty so they couldn't afford to change it. The league now allows us to wear purple shirts as an alternate, but at the time it caused chaos. The league applied to the CFA to ask for us to be allowed to wear a different colour, only to be told that anyone who did so would be suspended from all football!
We had to wear black, and allow the team to wear their red and black kit that was sanctioned by the FA!
 
A couple of years ago, I did an U16 game under floodlights.

I’d ref-ed the home team several times before, but always on a Sunday afternoon, as it was a Sunday league. But this game had been arranged for a Tuesday night under floodlights at a local ground as something a bit special for both sides (and playing under floodlights does have a certain magic to it.)

Anyway, home side play in a darkish blue, never a problem on even the gloomiest Sunday afternoon, but under floodlights (and they weren’t the best) the opposition were starting to complain, quite rightly, that they couldn’t distinguish me from the home team.

They asked if I could wear a bib. No drama, of course I could and did, and 22+ boys enjoyed a good game of football and an experience to remember.
 
Was there another colour on the kit or was it all black? The league may not have realised what it actually looked like. We had a team who played in all black with red pin stripes along the arms and collar, but when they registered their kit with the FA put it down as red and black. By the time anyone realised they'd bought the kit and pleaded poverty so they couldn't afford to change it. The league now allows us to wear purple shirts as an alternate, but at the time it caused chaos. The league applied to the CFA to ask for us to be allowed to wear a different colour, only to be told that anyone who did so would be suspended from all football!
We had to wear black, and allow the team to wear their red and black kit that was sanctioned by the FA!
I think the kit may have had another colour involved. It's likely the league were not given an accurate description
 
Was there another colour on the kit or was it all black? The league may not have realised what it actually looked like. We had a team who played in all black with red pin stripes along the arms and collar, but when they registered their kit with the FA put it down as red and black. By the time anyone realised they'd bought the kit and pleaded poverty so they couldn't afford to change it. The league now allows us to wear purple shirts as an alternate, but at the time it caused chaos. The league applied to the CFA to ask for us to be allowed to wear a different colour, only to be told that anyone who did so would be suspended from all football!
We had to wear black, and allow the team to wear their red and black kit that was sanctioned by the FA!

Suspended from all football!!! Thats just utterly ridiculous
 
That was the FA line at the time. Referees had to wear all black, and nothing else was acceptable. Anyone who wore a different colour could be suspended, and once the CFA had been told about it they were looking to make an example of someone. They would rather matches were farcical (and they really were!) than someone was sensible and wore a different colour. I believe some of the games were observed, just in case!
We were told we couldn’t refuse to allow them to wear the kit, and couldn’t wear a different colour ourselves, so we really couldn’t win! Luckily they only wore the kit for one season.
 
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