Question Number: 16728

Law 5 - The Referee 9/16/2007

RE: competitive Under 18

steve martinez of Palmdale, CA USA asks...

Are reasonably kept black shoes ok to wear at a game ?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

To Quote Advice to referees on the Laws of the Game, paragraph 5.1:

Referees should select their shoes with an eye for both utility and appearance. Referees have to run on the field with at least as much speed and agility as do the players, so the shoes should enable them to do this under all field conditions. Players, team officials, and spectators often make initial judgments about the skills and knowledge of the referee based on appearance, and shoes can contribute significantly toward building that reserve of confidence. It is also occasionally important that players, who are frequently looking down at the ground, be able to identify the referee quickly by differences in the shoes. Accordingly, the referee's shoes should be predominantly black, clean, polished, and neatly tied.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

Well, I for one think it looks really dorky to see a referee wearing bright orange shoes with their uniform....