How to Make a Referee Costume

Pick the type of referee the costume will represent. Depending on the sport and region, the referees wear different clothing. An American football referee wears a black and white striped shirt with white pants that come just below the knee. Soccer referees wear solid colored shirts or jackets and black shorts. Look at pictures of different types of referees to get an idea of what type of referee you want to duplicate.

Pick your the right shirt for your referee type. The most common referee shirt is a black-and-white vertically striped shirt. Sporting goods stores such as Academy Sports and Outdoors carry a variety of referee shirts. For soccer referee shirts, solid-colored polo shirts work well.

Get your pants. For most referee costumes, black slacks or shorts work. American football referees wear white paints with black belts.

Gather your accessories. Every ref needs his whistle. Referees also require cards or flags. Most sports use yellow flags or color cards for penalties. Colored index cards work for the cards. Yellow scarves or pieces of yellow fabric work for flags.

Find a pair of black athletic shoes. These black shoes are worn by all referees, no matter the sport.