Question Number: 31685

League Specific 8/6/2017

RE: Under 18

john of new orleans, la usa asks...

This question is a follow up to question 31667

Wanted to write a follow up response to the refs for this question I wrote

Mr. Grove: Yes, you are correct that there is a few year grace period, and that there are cheaper options, brands, and models. My point was more the overall message that it seems silly to me that OSI continues changing the uniform design and therefore making people keep spending $100+ on new designs when there is nothing wrong with the current ones. It appears to be a clear money grab

Mr. McHugh: I am not aware if this decision is by USSF or OSI. I know that OSI is the supplier of USSF referee gear, so i assume the decision was made by both parties.

I completely understand that some referees don't care about their appearance and that is not good (I have done games with referees using old year badges, only have one color uniform, etc), but I'm looking more at the overall picture of this need of the top bodies to constantly change their uniform designs for seemingly no reason.

And with regards to professionalism, this 'grace period' we now have is resulting in a referee crew frequently looking completely different from each other, where 1-2 have the new uniforms with a completely different shade of red/yellow/blue/green than the other people with the older uniforms

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi John,
,not to shake your faith in the world but of course money is an issue any corporation where power and prestige is bought and paid for on the world stage is there to make a profit. I wear a basic black uniform, at the recreational level no one cares ,they are happy to have a dedicated guy out in the middle who enjoys the game the kids and has a grasp of the LOTG to keep them safe! We live in a disposable capitalistic world where value is a concept not a tradition!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi John,
I think in my original response I was not disagreeing with the points you were making but since the situation is what it is and you may have to live with it, I was trying to mention some ways to mitigate the effects of it.

I am still not sure that purchasing the new style uniforms is mandatory but since it is 'expected' many referees may feel under pressure to buy them, which as you say, involves a not insignificant expense.

Answer provided by Referee Joe Manjone

John, I agree with you. It is a hardship for new officials to buy all the different color and style jerseys that are available. The price is doubled because both long and short sleeve jerseys are required in most states. I think that in order to help the young officials, your state or local association should mandate just two of the colors so that no official would be required to buy more than 4 jerseys. The other colors could then be optional, but can only be worn if all crew members have the same colors or styles. I know that this is done by high school associations in states where USSF jerseys can be worn in high school games. Also, in high school games, all officials must be dressed alike. Please also note that the USSF logo is not to be worn on jerseys when working high school games. Hopefully, your state or local association will help the young officials by requiring that only two of the colors be purchased. I hope that you have a great fall season.