Following consultation with other County FAs, and taking on board feedback from our referees, the Somerset County FA Referee Committee met last week to discuss the option for referees in grassroots football to wear coloured shirts from Season 23/24 onwards.

After discussions, it was agreed to introduce this option for our referees, with the following conditions in place;

• Clubs will still not be allowed to buy, or wear, shirts that are predominantly black or any other dark colour.
• Black will remain as the primary colour for referees, and should still be worn where there is no issue with colour clashes. However, in situations where the game would benefit from the referee wearing an alternative coloured shirt (i.e. a team with a dark kit, or evening matches under floodlights) this is now an option for referees to consider.
• Referees are not being expected or asked to purchase new shirt unless they wish to do so- the new agreement purely gives referees the option to wear an alternative shirt in the circumstances outlined above. If a referee wishes to wear black, it is the team(s) that should change their shirt colour. Referees are not permitted to wear a bib, and should report any club asking them to do so.
• Referees should continue to report any team that wears a black/dark kit.
• This agreement covers all leagues from the Somerset County League, down through the pyramid of grassroots and youth football, including County Cup competitions. The agreement does not cover the Western League or any FA Competitions (FA Cup, FA Trophy, FA Vase, FA Youth Cup etc) at this stage.
• The new agreement will commence on 1^st July 2023

For referees that would like to purchase coloured shirts, there are a number of options available online. Sports Direct currently have good deals on referee shirts from last season, and would make an ideal option should you choose to carry a coloured shirt in your bag. There are also other shirts available with our partners ‘The Ref Stop’ and ‘Grassroots Referees’

We hope that you will welcome the new agreement and view it as an opportunity to improve the matchday experience, for both yourselves and the teams involved. If you have any questions about the coloured shirts, please feel free to get in touch.