The referee bag is the most crucial
piece of equipment in the referee’s arsenal. It literally is the toolbox that
the referee’s tools are kept safe. There are many types of bags available to
the referee. It is up to each individual referee to evaluate and purchase the
best bag and supplies for his or her needs.
My old bag was a simple, standard
type gym bag emblazoned with the United States Soccer Referee Program logo. It
served me for a season and half before it needed to be retired. I was straining
it beyond its capacity, and I’m honestly surprised it lasted as long as it did.
Like all things, you get what you pay for, and it was fairly cheap. This
Christmas, Santa Claus brought a new bag to replace the old one. Actually,
Santa brought me three bags. I chose the new compartmentalized bag from
Official Sports. This bag is proudly displays the USSF Soccer Referee logo as
well.
The small, outside left pocket
contains: two watches, a hand pump, Laws of the Game booklet, and two black
trash bags. I always wear two watches for the games I referee. The one worn on
the left wrist is the primary timekeeper; the watch on the right wrist is the
backup. Both watches keep the running game time just in case one of the watches
fails. During one game, the battery on my backup watch died. The field marshal
laughed when I mentioned it to him and asked why I wore a backup. I honestly
thought the situation answered his question, but I simply replied, “Because
it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.” Every
referee must carry a copy of the laws of the game. Failing to do so is, in my
opinion, unbelievably irresponsible. The black trash bags are used to protect
the bag and its contents from the elements. In Miami, the summer sun shower can
pop anytime. It’s good practice to always wrap the bag in plastic. 
The larger left sided pocket contains
a pair of cleats and a first aid bag. I don’t wear cleats as my primary referee
shoe; however, in the rain, the quick stops and starts needed for running a
line can be treacherous. They also serve as back up shoes should the primary
shoes suffer catastrophic failure, Semper
Paratus. The first aid bag has athletic tape, ibuprofen, Icy-Hot
ointment/spray, and an Epi-Pen. 
The two small front pockets contain
two small plastic bags. The first contains several different types and styles of
whistles. I primarily use a Fox40 Sharx whistle. It’s probably overkill on the
smaller fields, but it is a distinct and very loud whistle. It is a black
whistle with a pink lanyard. The pink lanyard makes it easy to spot on the
pitch if I happen to drop it. I carry a regular Fox40 whistle in my pocket just
in case I drop the primary whistle. I do carry two “old school” whistles with
the cork pea. Sometimes, referees need to change whistles because a neighboring
field’s referee has the same whistle.
The second small bag contains referee patches, two sets of yellow and
red cards, pencils, scorecards, and a coin.
The large right side pocket
contains a pair of turf shoes. These are my primary refereeing shoes. Whether
on grass or artificial turf, these shoes provide the right amount of grip for
running a line or centering a soccer game in dry conditions. [Insert pic] The
small, outer right pocket contains two pairs of referee socks. Wearing wet
socks is one of the most awful feelings on the planet. Sometimes, you just have
to change socks between games or halves.
This brings me to the main,
large pocket; inside are all of the uniforms needed to officiate the game. All
the colors of the rainbow are represented: two red, two black, two yellow, two
blue, one green USSF Referee program shirts. With the exception of the green
shirt, I have a long sleeve and short sleeve of each of them. Also inside the
main pocket, there are league specific shirts: Club Sport Official shirt, Regla
XVIII purple shirt, and a yellow Adidas shirt. There’s a USSF hat, an extra
pair of referee shorts, and regular t-shirt for after the game. 
Too large to fit into the bag are
two sets of assistant referee flags. They rest inside the handles of the bag
near the top pocket. A small cell phone holder is clipped to the shoulder
strap. The little pocket inside the cell phone holder is my USSF Referee
identification and my Florida Youth Soccer background clearance.
In total, the bag and its contents
are around $1,000.00. The bag is more than just a carrying tool for all the
equipment the referees need; it’s a bank vault that carries a large investment
for each referee.
