Uniforms and Equipment for
Northern Plains Lacrosse League Officials
Uniform and Equipment Requirements
The NPLL uses the following uniform and equipment for all high school, and youth lacrosse games:
- Black shorts with belt loop and pockets (no cargo shorts)
- Black ankle socks (no crew socks or no-show socks; they should just cover the ankle bone)
- Black nylon jackets (plain; no striped jackets; no non-black piping or highlights; a non-offensive, non-team-affiliated logo no larger than 2.5"x2.5" is permitted)
- Short-sleeved striped shirt (on cold days, youth officials can wear black long sleeves underneath if they don't have a long-sleeved striped shirt)
- Black belt with plain silver buckle (plain belt; no weaves or designs)
- Black shoes with any logos, designs, or other colors blacked out (black sharpie followed by dab-on shoe polish usually works well; some people use black nail polish)
- Black hat with white piping
- Two penalty flags (gold-ball flags can be used, but black-ball flags should be purchased if possible when buying new flags)
- Black Fox-40 finger-grip whistle
- Scorecard
- Pencils
- Coin at least the size of a half dollar
- Lacrosse official's timer (Level 2 only)
- Small tape measure (6 ft., preferably black or covered in black tape; Level 2 only)
The referee makes final decisions on the uniform for the day, and all officials must be dressed the same (e.g., you cannot have one official wearing shorts and one wearing pants). If you are not the referee, bring all of your uniform options to each game so the referee can decide what will be worn.
All officials must have a wristwatch with a black band. It is our job to get games started on time and to keep them on schedule, and it's hard to do that if you don't know what time it is. Cell phone clocks are not an acceptable substitute; if you are looking at your cell phone before or during a game, it looks like your mind is somewhere else.
Flag and US Lacrosse Patches
The US Lacrosse patch is worn on the left sleeve for high school and youth level games. The top of the patch should be roughly 3 inches down from the shoulder seam.
The US flag patch is worn centered on the left breast pocket and with the bottom of the patch ¾ inches above that pocket. NPLL officials generally use a 3.5" x 2.25" flag patch with a gold border.
Uniform and Equipment Vendors
The following vendors sell lacrosse officiating gear:
Cold-Weather Options for New Officials
If you are a sub-varsity official and don't have a long-sleeved striped shirt yet, you can wear black long-sleeved shirt or sweatshirt under your striped shirt (no hoodies and no printing from the shirt can be visible through the striped shirt). Black nylon jackets with no printing can be worn over the striped shirt if the whole crew has them. Black nylon rain pants (no sweatpants) with no stripes or printing can also be worn. All officials should have a long-sleeved striped shirt by their second year. See above for vendors.
Any other items (e.g., gloves, headbands) should be black.
Hot-Weather Options
On very hot days in non-varsity leagues, the referee may choose to have the crew officiate without hats. Mesh shirts are a good option for these days. Some leagues and tournaments use special summer officiating shirts.
