I've always used the cheapo ones on the OSI site. I got 10 of each when I bought my original uniforms, since they came in the set. They only get messed up if I accidentally leave them in the pockets and throw them in the wash. Unless you're a fan of the write-on cards, I've never really seen having "nice" cards as something to care about.
Ah. I forget sometimes how different our seasons are here in the lower mainland of BC. We pretty much don't have an off-season. Our regular youth and adult leagues run September to March with provincial cup play in April and May. Our youth premier league starts in February and runs through fall. There are spring and summer youth and adult leagues to supplement the regular playing season. About the only time we don't have games is 2-3 weeks around Christmas!
It is interesting to hear everyone’s comments. Sorry for being lazy and not looking up the original thread. For that I will show myself a Newbie Card (kind of like a Yellow Card). I have to be careful now. A second Newbie Card is usually followed by an AC by several of the forum participants. A third Newbie Card results in you being sent off and suspended from posting.
Yellow shorts front right, red shorts front left. Extra set in wallet shift left pocket. Never used the extras except once for a yellow for taking the shirt off. Harmless card, ecstatic player after scoring his first goal in adult league. I just waited for him to come back to midfield, had it all documented and stood there waiting, met him with a smile and he happily accepted the card. You can go "to fast" with them so easily accessible, but I hated the feel of trying to get red out of my back pocket. I gave a 2Ct->Red one game and the AR thought it was straight red because they were done so close together, so now I hesitate and go a bit slower between the two cards when I have to do this.
So last night, Girls HS game, the field coordinator is real late with the checks, and hands them over about 1 minute before the national anthem. What pocket do you put that in? After the anthem and introductions, we are in the middle of the field and I start thinking about the loose check floating around. As I head to my sideline, I decide where to secure it. I have on a pair of Champion non-standard shorts, that have a small 5th pocket with a zipper at the lower edge. The obvious place for a game check. However, the weather is a bit chilly and all 3 refs have on long pants. My game shorts are underneath the sweats, so I start digging down inside my sweatpants to access that little zipper in my shorts, when I realize that standing in the middle of the field with a hand crawling down the inside my pants may not be the best way to start the Girls Varsity game. The sweatpants pockets were pretty shallow, so they are out. I settled on keeping it folded inside the book, left shirt pocket. That way I could check on the check after every goal.
Most of the time I get high school checks mailed. Once, after getting a check at the field, on a long ride home I stopped on the way, and decided to throw away some trash - like team rosters we are required to collect. After getting in the car, I thought where did I put that check. WHOOPS! It must be in the trash. I had to go dig it out of the trash. Luckily I didn't drive off before thinking about it. I also try to wash rosters at least once a season! I've haven't lost a check or washed a roster yet this year - but it's early.
Ahhh the wonders of mobile deposit. For the few that do give the check on site, I will deposit it between games then by the end of the last game it is in my account.
I recently bought a set of cards from prosoccer, a b+d set, and an adidas set from japan. I wanted a sturdy card that I could write on. The b+d and prosoccer sets are identically dimensioned, a bit larger than the typical card but stiffer than the ones that you find in intro ref kits. Like a credit card. The adidas set is my favorite by far. Very stiff: basically doesn't bend at all when writing on it. Size is perfect for front pocket carry.
I always put anything like that in my back left with my extra whistle and pen/pencil (it's a pen when it's dry out, and a pencil when it's wet out - I always use a pencil as my main one in my front left with my book/white cardstock). And since I'm responding -- I keep the yellow I use in my front right shorts pocket, the red I use in my back right (never any problems for me getting it out ) with an extra yellow behind my patch in top left and an extra red in my top right. My thought on that is since I rarely go to the shirt pockets to card, in the event I needed to, I know going to my patch means yellow.
How do you guys who have the quick draw cards in the right and left front short pockets manage the whistle? I have my whistle in the left hand (actually it's two Fox 40 Classics held together with a ring), and I am not feeling the love of reaching for a card with my left hand.
Forgive me for I have sinned...and continue to do so. I use a Fox 40 Classic finger grip whistle on my right hand. Which of course makes the right side shorts pockets less convenient to use. I keep my quick draw yellow in my front left shorts pocket and my quick red in my back left shorts pocket. I keep my book, including spare yellow and red cards, in my left chest pocket. Spare whistle in my right front shorts pocket.
I didn't even know they made finger grip Fox 40's. They look so awkward to use as well as you lose the signalling of a whole arm.
not sure, I never thought of it, my guess is it's in my mouth, but I am not sure. Whistle is in my left hand normally, it's in my mouth when I am writing goals and other stuff down, I think. My son has a picture of me recording a goal with it in my mouth, so maybe that's what I do on quick draw red cards. Not sure, it just sort of happens.
Since I make an effort to point for fouls/throw-ins without the whistle (it looks cleaner), flipping the whistle between hands to be able to get the card out becomes a bit of second nature. When I'm writing my pair of whistles goes in my shorts waist line.
Yellow - right front shorts pocket, red - back left shorts pocket, data wallet with extra cards - left shirt pocket, extra whistle - right shirt pocket Since I am right handed, yellow is in the right so I can get it out quickly. Red is in the back left so that I have to think really hard if I want to send-off a player. Last time, I tried to place cards in different pockets was a few years ago for a boys U-16 game. Player had a reckless foul that deserved a caution. I blew the whistle and I reached into my right pocket for the yellow and was surprised that it wasn't there. I start reaching into all my other pockets to try to find it. I must have looked ridiculous. I start walking over to my closest AR hoping that he has his cards. That's when I finally found the yellow behind, but not in, my data wallet. Ever since I went back to my standard arrangement. I never understood why I needed an extra whistle until I was doing a high school varsity game about seven years ago. During a quick clearance by a player, the ball hit my hand and my whistle went flying. My thought was how do I stop the game now. Luckily, the ball went out shortly after for a throw-in so I said, "Hold the throw!" Then I quickly found the whistle, and restarted the game. At half-time, an extra whistle went in my shirt pocket.