Referee equipment
AYSO provides every referee in Region 26 with the basics
- shirt, shorts, socks, a whistle, and a copy of the Laws of the Game. You
are expected to provide a watch, shoes and a pen or pencil. That's enough
to get you started (and indeed to get you through your first couple of years
as an AYSO referee).
The basics are provided in connection with referee clinics and the associated
Referee Equipment Room.
Eventually though, especially if you make refereeing a
semi-serious hobby, you'll feel the need for some other, different or better
quality, equipment. Among the things that you may decide that you "need" that
AYSO does not usually provide are
- Long sleeve referee shirts
- Referee clothing designed to fit women rather than
men
What?! We're going
to look into this... - Referee data wallets
- Fancy flags with swivels and foam covered handles
- Etc.; etc.; etc....
There are several places to get all this stuff. The following
is a short, unsystematic, incomplete list. None of these is in any way officially
endorsed by AYSO at any level, they are just places that some local referees
have found useful.
Local (to Palo Alto) stores
Many local sports stores carry some soccer gear. Few of
them carry enough to run to referee equipment, however.
One which has a full line of referee equipment is not too
far away -- Kickers Soccer Shop
at 840-B El Camino Real, Belmont (650-593-4924).
Also not too far away is
Off the Wall Soccer
on 700 Matthew, Santa Clara (408-988-6900).
There are also some other soccer speciality stores elsewhere
(San Jose, SF) in the Bay Area.
Mail order catalogues
The bigger soccer mail order catalogues usually have a page
or so of referee gear. These would include
Referee equipment firms
Two firms that make referee gear (some of which is carried
by the stores and catalogues listed above) also have their own catalogues
and Web sites where you can browse.
Enjoy!