Question:
I saw your answer to the question [of October 21, 2010] regarding new and old style referee uniforms.
All referees at the 2010 Far West Regionals were required to have the new style uniform. Some of the referees had to spend hundreds of dollars on new uniforms.
Additionally referees in the finals wore the Adidas kits.
Take a look at the photos at http://www.regioniv.com/regional10/reg-photos.htm
Referees are being forced to use the new style OSI gear despite what USSF says officially and Adidas is sneaking in. USSF needs to be more sensitive to the costs associated with refereeing. We don’t need new styles and we don’t need 5 colors. This especially impacts our new and youth referees who can barely afford one color jersey. In addition to being a referee I’m also an assignor, so I see the impact on the youngsters.
Thanks for listening to me whine.
USSF answer (November 5, 2010):
We understand the problems of economy and regulation, but there are good reasons for the requirements at the Far West Regionals.
1. Adidas is one of the national sponsors of USYS, the organization that runs the youth regional tournaments. It is traditional that their uniforms are worn for the finals at USYS regional youth tournaments.
2. Official Sports International (OSI) is the official supplier of referee uniforms to U. S. Soccer and the longest-standing sponsor of the referee program. We encourage all referees to buy uniforms and equipment from them as much as possible. From the pictures on the website, it appears that the referees wore only OSI uniforms for the preliminary and semifinal games.
3. It is traditional that each referee wears nothing but the most up-to-date gear at the regional tournaments, which are a showcase for the players who have qualified and a great honor for the referees who have been selected. It is regrettable that some referees had to spend a considerable amount of money to purchase new uniforms, but they also had the right to turn down the opportunity to go the the Regionals.
4. As noted in the answer of October 21, referees may use the “old” OSI uniforms for as long as they are presentable. If any referee has a problem with uniform requirements for tournaments, he or she should call Adrian Garibay, the Federation’s Director of Registration and Referee Administration, at 312-528-1275.
