Referee Checklist

Referee Checklist

In-Town and Travel

Be properly dressed:

  • Official referee shirt – Yellow (primary), red, black, 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 soccer socks, preferably with white stripes
  • Shirt tucked in!

Mandatory Equipment:

  • Whistle (Electronic is acceptable)
  • Coin for coin toss
  • Pad of paper and pencil
  • Red and Yellow cards (travel only)
  • Wristwatch
  • Linesman flags (travel only – center must bring flags, ARs should bring flags too)
  • Water bottle (stay hydrated!)

Optional Equipment and Clothing:

  • Sunscreen
  • Air pump
  • 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 are not enough)

Arrive at least 20 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 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.

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 pads: All players MUST wear. They must be completely covered by socks.
  • NO JEWELRY – NO CASTS. Players must remove all jewelry, including earrings.
  • Soft hair elastics or very flat hair “snaps” are allowed. Casts are NOT allowed.

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, quarters, and halves. 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 to sidelines for coin flip:

  • Visiting team gets to call the coin flip.
  • Winner of coin flip chooses side of field or possession of the ball - the other team starts with opposite of first team’s choice.
  • Discuss any pertinent information with captains.

After the game:

  • Monitor teams as they shake hands.
  • Contact Referee Director/Assignor to report any significant issue.
  • Complete the game report on the BAYS website (travel only).
  • Complete game report for in-town via email and send to Ray Almeida ([email protected])