Official referee shirt – Yellow (primary), red, black, green or blue (long or short sleeved – if it is cold and you only have a short sleeved uniform, wear a black long-sleeved shirt and layers underneath)
Referee badge for the current year
Black shorts
Black shoes – cleats or sneakers
Black referee socks
Shirt tucked in!
Mandatory Equipment:
Whistle
Coin for coin toss
Paper and pencil/pen
Red and Yellow cards (travel only)
Wristwatch (NOT timer on neck strap or cell phone timer)
AR flags (travel only – center must bring flags, ARs should bring flags too)
Water bottle (stay hydrated!)
Optional Equipment and Clothing:
Sunscreen
Air pump
Air gauge
Plastic Bag (to be used inside sports bag to keep clothing dry)
Extra referee shirt in an alternate color
Black warm-up pants (not preferred, but acceptable in cold weather)
Long underwear
Black gloves/black hat
Jacket, black (only to be worn in extreme cold, if layers aren’t enough)
Arrive at least 30 minutes before game time to check the field:
Goals must be secured to ground. If held with bags, bags must be to rear of frame.
Check nets. Be aware if there is any hole and report to the referee assignor after the game.
Check that the field is lined adequately.
Make sure the home coach has put out corner markers. Discs can be used to mark corners.
Check field for obstacles. Remove any debris, such as rocks, sticks or trash.
Look for dangerous conditions, especially inspecting for soft areas due to wetness, holes, rocks, etc. Confer with the coaches if you are considering canceling the game for safety concerns – but the final decision is up to you.
Keep an eye on the weather too.
About 10 minutes before game time:
Introduce yourself to the coaches.
Let them know you understand the Zero Tolerance Policy. Do they?
Collect team rosters. (travel only)
Coach gives you 2, keep one roster, give one to opposing coach.
Check coach pass cards.
Check player pass cards (MTOC eligible teams in Spring only).
Have players line up for inspection:
Call attendance from rosters. (travel only)
BAYS: All players must be on roster. No hand-written names.
Check cleats: Soccer shoes. No metal cleats allowed. Sneakers OK.
Check shin guards: All players MUST wear them. They must be completely covered by socks.
NO JEWELRY – NO CASTS. Players must remove all jewelry, including earrings.
Soft hair elastics are allowed, but not hard hair clips.
All players must be in uniform:
Shirts must be matching or very similar. If not, players can wear pinnies.
All shirts must be tucked in to start game and to start second half. You can ignore it if they come untucked during the game or ask player to tuck shirt in too.
If extreme cold, players may wear sweatpants or leggings. They should be worn under shorts.
Shirts may be worn under the uniform shirt.
Goalkeepers MUST be dressed differently than players on BOTH teams.
If the 2 teams have similar colors and you think it may be confusing, ask the home team to wear pinnies.
This is up to you, not the coaches.
Goalkeeper can wear soft-brim hat if sun is a factor.
Field players may wear brimless hats if weather is cold
Ask the players if they have any questions.
Call captains:
Visiting team gets to call the coin flip
Winner of coin flip chooses side of field, other team starts with ball
Discuss any pertinent information with captains
After the game:
Monitor teams as they shake hands.
Contact Referee Director/Assignor to report any significant issues.
Complete the game report on the BAYS website (travel only).
