Can referees wear hats?
Noah Mitchell
Published Jan 21, 2026
Caps may be worn so long as the cap does not endanger the safety of the official or the players. The cap should be consistent with the referee uniform and not conflict with the uniform colors worn by either team. The cap may not bear any commercial marks or logos.
Can football referees wear hats?
Referees and assistant referees must wear the same color jerseys and the same style of socks, and all should wear the same length sleeves. The referee uniform does not include a hat, cap, or other head covering, with the exception of religious head covering.
Are soccer referees allowed to wear hats?
Kudos to the U.S. Soccer Federation, which has announced its approval for referees to wear caps. Previous wording in U.S. Soccer's “Advise to Referees on the Laws of the Game” stated that, “Hats or caps are not part of the officially accepted uniform …”
What can referees wear?
Referees usually wear clothing that distinguishes them from the players to avoid confusion on the playing field. For example, in soccer, referees often wear either solid black or bright colors (blue, yellow, green, or orange). In most North American sports, referees wear vertical black and white stripes.
What should a football referee wear?
Along with the jersey, referees are required to wear black shorts, black socks (with white stripes in some cases), and black shoes. The badge, which displays the referee's license level and year of validity, is often affixed to the left chest pocket.
35 related questions foundCan a referee get a red card?
A red card for violent conduct may be issued because the assistant referee had identified and attempted to communicate the offence to the referee before play restarted.
Can a referee rescind a red card?
Can a referee Reverse a red card? Yes, they can as long as the ball has not been played after the decision. Normally the only way this can happen is either the wrong player was shown the red card, or VAR intervenes and states that the foul was not red card worthy.
Do refs wear cleats?
Most professional referees will turn to proper soccer cleats, similar to what soccer players wear. This is because essentially, they are very much like a soccer player on the pitch.
Can referees wear tracksuit bottoms?
End of story. The only official permitted to wear a tracksuit is the 4th official.
Why do refs have two whistles?
Most referees carry two whistles, one for regular game play and a second as a backup or safety whistle. The second whistle usually has a different pitch or tone, and is usually a different colour (often colour-coordinated with the uniform). Referees use a whistle to help in match control.
Why do refs wear hats?
Wearing a hat protects the scalp and other parts of the head from repeated exposure to the sun's intense rays, as the material sits nicely on top of the skin and acts as a barrier. This would ultimately help to reduce a referee's own cancer risk.
What do football referees wear under their shirts?
Most referees wear a black Under Armour or similar moisture wicking shirt underneath their jerseys. It is acceptable, especially for new referees, to wear a long-sleeve t-shirt underneath your short-sleeve jersey. The same color restrictions apply.
What does a soccer referee need?
A referee bag that should contain the following: A watch with stopwatch functions – two watches are preferred, one for starting and stopping and one for keeping a running time in case you forget to start the first one. Pens/pencils, Notebook.
Can a goalkeeper wear a hat?
As per FIFA's "Equipment Regulations", Section 22, only the goalkeeper is permitted to wear a cap. 22.1 All goalkeepers may, irrespective of the prevailing conditions, wear a goalkeeper cap of any Colour. The goalkeeper cap must be produced by the Manufacturer of a Playing Equipment item.
What is not allowed in football?
Facemask: To protect the football players, it is illegal to grab another player's facemask. Roughing the Passer or Kicker: To protect kickers and quarterbacks, who are very vulnerable when they are passing or kicking the ball, players are not allowed to run into them after the ball has been thrown or kicked.
What are the 17 rules of football?
The Football Laws include 17 in the book.
- The Field of Play.
- The Ball.
- The Number of Players.
- The Players' Equipment.
- The Referee.
- The Assistant Referees.
- The Duration of the Match.
Can referees wear gloves?
Warmth vs Protection. While hockey players wear padded gloves to protect their hands, officials who do choose to wear gloves do so as a means of keeping their hands warm not for protection. Some areas can be very cold and officiating without gloves may be quite uncomfortable.
What colour must undergarments be in soccer?
The rule stipulates that if undergarments (such as skins) are to be worn they must be the same colour as the playing shorts. This means if the clubs home shorts are white, the undergarment must be white, if the away shorts are black, the undergarments must be black.
What boots do refs wear?
While referees are rather known for wearing traditional boots such as the Nike Premier or the Adidas Copa Mundial Kevin Friend opted for the cutting-edge Nike Flyknit Ultra soccer boot, Nike's most advanced football boot available currently.
What shoes do refs wear?
Acceptable shoes are referee shoes, running shoes, soccer shoes (no metal, aluminum, or steel cleats), turf shoes, or any other appropriately safe, closed-toe footwear.
What type of shoes do soccer referees wear?
Footwear: Referees are expected to wear athletic footwear which is primarily black in color. White footwear is NEVER permitted. Cleats, turf shoes, or running shoes are all appropriate provided they are black.
What happens if the referee scores a goal?
If the goalkeeper throws the ball directly into the opponents' goal, a goal kick is awarded. If a referee signals a goal before the ball has passed wholly over the goal line, play is restarted with a dropped ball. The team scoring the greater number of goals is the winner.
Can a referee be replaced?
Often, the fourth official will replace the referee or one of the assistant referees if they are unable to continue. The Laws also allow for designated reserve assistant referees who have no other responsibilities unless called upon to replace a member of the officiating team who is unable to continue.
Can the referee show a yellow or red card to a player in the dressing room?
This means only within those time yous can show yellow or red cards so if for some reason you are in the dressing room, say at half time, then you can show the cards. But showing the cards is only the means to communicate caution or send off, so you can still caution or send off without showing the cards.