Okay, so after 3 Academy games where tents were provided for both teams but not for the officials on either 90 degree days or rainy days I have decided to purchase my own 4 pole canopy tent (think the ones at the Showcases). Considering tomorrow will be a blistering 91 at my game, I would probably bring the tent to the match for my referee crew and myself to stay cool in between halves and before/after the match. My only worry though is that teams will attempt to use it as well, which I do not want. One time I thought we had a referee only tent until the game started and the home team moved their bench and baggage under it and I had to dig out my stuff after the match while they were having their post game chat, which was awkward since I was climbing over people and player bags (and my water bottle seemed a lot lighter than it was before). I want to know how I should handle having a tent only for the refs, specially if the teams don’t have them. I want to disallow anyone besides the refs to enter it but I feel like I’d get a plea that goes something like, “the kids are hot and they want some shade” and it would make me the common enemy, which I don’t want. One thought was to put up “Referees Only” signs but people would probably ignore them. So, any helpful tips or advice on how to handle it. Should I not bring a tent at all? The car won’t be accessible, as it’s parked too far away. For reference, it is a Super Y host weekend.
Don’t put it at the halfway line. The last time one of my crew brought a tent, we put it off a corner of the field on the teams side.
I think a tent for crew use is reasonable and appropriate, and if teams at this level haven't got a tent of their own then let them get a new manager.
How many people are you wanting shade for? If it’s just you and a a crew this might be sufficient: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003DJ4FEM/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have one and used it many times- it is plenty of space for two or three and you can carry/deploy it yourself. The square tents, if you get a good one, like ez up, are pretty heavy and putting it up/down is a two person job. They sell wall panels that can give you three sided privacy. The cheap sub $100 deals with the splayed legs are so fragile that you have to almost look at them as disposable.
How many people are you wanting shade for? If it’s just you and a a crew this might be sufficient: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003DJ4FEM/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have one and used it many times- it is plenty of space for two or three and you can carry/deploy it yourself. The square tents are of course the standard but the cheap ones don’t last and the decent ones
Some facilities don’t permit anything that requires a pole or stake in the ground due to irrigation systems. Check with your local sites before buying anything.
If there is a ready water supply, a 5 gallon bucket filled with water and attached to the center of the tent with bungee coordination is an excellent anchor.
While this is absolutely the case, some facilities (like ours) don’t allow tents of any kind, even if weights are used.
How many of us have stopped a match for a tent blowing across the field? (Raising my hand!) And the latest embellishment for the suburban set is custom tents with custom club logos! I think there is a correlation between size of club logo and team suckery.
Stake it down first off, if a team pulls up your stakes to move it you have much more leeway to read them the riot act. I like the referees only idea as well