My 14 year old son just completed his grade 8 ref training today in Ohio South, District 3. He was given a handout with info on an 11 piece new ref kit manufactured by Final Decision and sold by Soccer Express in Columbus, Ohio. The Soccer Express in Columbus does not look like the same entity as https://soccerexpressinc.com/ and they do not appear to have their own online store. The 11 piece kit seems like a good deal at $65. They were told not to order something online because you might not get the new jersey and that a lot of the online kits include the old jersey. I live 1.5 hours from Columbus and would like to avoid 3 hours of driving just to buy the kit. Is there anywhere online I can buy this kit where I can make sure I get the right jersey so I can avoid driving all the way to Columbus? This looks like the jersey in the picture on the handout, but the socks and shorts look a little different. I imagine it doesn't matter as much if the cards, wallet, whistle, bag, etc are the same, but I would think jersey, socks, and shorts need to be the right ones. http://officialsports.com/1815-11-piece-ussf-starter-kit/ I appreciate any advice you can provide to help my son get started on the right foot.
The soccerexpress website is selling the old style jersey, which you should avoid buying now. Official Sports is the official supplier for US Soccer. You can't go wrong buying anything from that website and the 11 piece starter kit has everything a new ref would need.
https://catalog.finaldecision.net/product_p/5075.htm This appears to be the exact kit from the handout. Is there any reason to buy one over the other?
That would work as well and appears to come with a pretty decent bag. Official Sports is the "official" kit, but it's not required until you start doing very high level games or prestigious national tournaments. Final Decision and Score both give you the same quality jersey at a cheaper price. The only thing you're missing is the USSF logo on the arm, but like I said, it doesn't matter for a young referee. Buying cheaper lets you add on a second color sooner.
Depending on what leagues he plans to ref in, he may not even need the entire kit. If he plans to only work recreational games for instance he may need no more than a new style jersey, ref socks, any black athletic shorts, a watch and a whistle. Check with the league assignor(s). Of course you can get everything you need online.
There are a number of vendors of refereeing kits out there. One that I have used for years is Scoresports. The apparel has always been of the highest quality. In particular their jersey's are well made and of the latest moisture wicking fabrics. They also have women's wear too. Best of all, their pricing is low. For instance, their "pro" long sleeve jersey is $33.95 compared to Final Decision's Elite jersey at $39.99, and Official Sports' $49.95 pricing. (Official Sports pricing is usually always the highest.) But here's the deal on kids starting out refereeing. (I am 72 and retired from refereeing, but I and my son refereed for many years, starting when he was 12.) Kids out grow jerseys from 12 to 20 and go through several sizes. They, of course, grow taller up to about 16 or 17 and then grow meatier around the chest arms and shoulders after that. Depending on the kid this might entail three different sizes. So why get the "pro" priced models when then lesser priced ones will do just fine for a year or two? (And I have seen many kids loose interest and drop out.) I agree with threeputzzz above that you do not have to buy a complete kit depending on the refereeing venue. For low lever rec, a yellow ref jersey, (any) long black socks, and black mid length shorts will do the job. Whistles and watches are local buys, and any large coin plus small pad and a pen will do for scoring (if the ref is disciplined about recording sufficiently complete information. If the refereeing will be at competitive games and/or large tournaments, then more equipment will be needed. You could probably get away with two jersey colors, but that is sometimes problematic if the other two referees don't have the same color. Most refs carry three colors and the industry has standardized on yellow, red, and green. (black and light blue are also available from vendors and usually are only needed for high end games (college, pro etc.) but this also depends on region of the country or local requirements for some large tournaments. So for "economy" short sleeve jerseys it's $20.95 at Score, $24.99 at Final Decision, and $25.95 at Official Sports. A "three pack" of economy jerseys (yellow, red, & green) is priced at Score for $45.00 making the effective price of a jersey $15.00. I can't find any such offer at the Final Decision or the Official Sports web sites. Pricing of similar starter 10-piece starter kits: Score = $47.45, Final Decision = $59.99, and Official Sports = $50.95. Note: Score has both the new style jerseys and also the model that is being retired. Be sure to order the right one. Also... socks: Depending on how often your referee has his socks and uniform washed get at least two pair of socks. The get sweaty very fast and washing is important if you are to keep the elastic working.... Also the cheaper socks are all synthetic. My bias is that inside the shoe there should be some cotton for absorbency. The better socks will have 30% or so cotton around the foot along with the polyester/nylon and spandex from which the rest of the sock is made. Finally, I have absolutely no relationship whatsoever with the Score folks (other than having purchased their products for years.) I simply like their products and their good service and pricing and am passing this on. Kindest regards to all.
Most of the big players in Referee gear have starter kits of varying levels. Check them out. Score Official Sports Final Decision (though I find their quality to be suspect) Many others.
Keep an eye on shipping costs too. A couple of years back I considered picking up a single jersey from Score to fill a gap in my collection, but $15 shipping on a $20 jersey was more than I could stomach.
Before ordering talk first to whatever assignor he will primarily work for and figure out what the primary color or colors for that club that. If the club uses gold or yellow for teams, the primary referee jersey may not be gold. Also, if you're son is 14 then he should be doing all of this research himself, not you. Granted, the instructors in his course should have covered all of this in class or in a post class follow up email.
Let’s keep this thread rolling! If everyone who clicked into here to see if ussf is going Nike or adidas, we’ll get it at least to 4 pages.
Oh you didn't hear? USSF is coming out with a new logo since the last one didn't qualify for the WC which means OSI is redesigning the jerseys and we'll get a new kit in about a year or so. You heard it here first.
Of the things I've seen some refs do that amazed me, a lack of different colors is still way down on the list.
You don’t get to really experience the full range of lazy from the human race until you are forced to work along side them.
As a ref with 10 yrs exp and 2 sons also reffing, we have about 20 ref shirts in the house. Many bought on craigslist or given to us for free. So far, I have refused to purchase the new style as the ones we got work just fine. Waiting for some assignor to insist before I consider buying more. And the 2 clubs and 1 tourney I assign for will not be making refs replace their perfectly good gear.
I resemble that remark. Those pinstripe uniforms were much warmer than the two stripe version or the latest version. Last year I actually wore the pinstripe on a game so we could have three different uniforms on the game. Also the yellow pinstripe was the last version OSI made in a rain slicker.
Warmer has never been the issue. Just layer up. It’s trying to stay cool that is the problem. The new style does that much better.
Well so does running around topless to work on your tan as long as you can keep your book in your shorts or have your ARs do all the writing, but topless isn't all that professional is it? Neither is refusing to buy the new stuff when you're an active referee (you said in another post you did 170 games last year) just because some assignors haven't forced you to.
Yea, that style was still in when I retired from reffing (also I tore my right rectus femoris muscle running too hard for an old fart.) But right to the end I was still hoping that the black long sleeve jersey with the nifty white collar would come back. (I wouldn't have had to buy a new one as my 1965 version still looked good!)