Good Birthday Gifts for a Football Referee

Referees in every sport endure the discontent and hostility of players and fans, but for many of them, that may be a small price to pay to officiate a sport they love. If you're a friend, colleague or family member of a football referee, birthday gift ideas will often start and end with football-related items. You can choose humorous gifts, collectibles or something that memorializes a football referee's career.

  1. Personalized Whistle

    • The whistle is the primary symbol of a football referee's authority and function. Buy a stainless steel referee's whistle with a traditional black cord, and engrave a message, a favorite quote or a logo on the whistle. You can also engrave the referee's initials or the date of a major game he officiated that holds special meaning. Engraved whistles can be bought as keepsakes or for normal use, but if you want it to be something that is placed on a shelf, buy a small display box to accompany the engraved whistle.

    Accessories

    • Another birthday gift idea for a football referee is to buy an accessory kit that provides items used on game day. These items include a black football wallet, pencil, signal card that displays the most common football penalty signals and game card that has official game information such as the names of each team's captain, which team won the coin toss, name of the home and away team, timeouts taken and points scored in each quarter.

    Trophies and Plaques

    • Express your appreciation for a football referee's efforts by buying a trophy with a referee's likeness that you can engrave with a birthday wish or a message specifically related to his referee skills. These trophies are typically mounted on risers with a figurine at the top. You can also custom-make a plaque and engrave the referee's name and birth date and include a humorous or heartfelt message. Another idea is to etch a referee's whistle or the logo of the referee's favorite team on a marbleized plaque, which may cost a little more, but is a classy and memorable birthday gift.

    Apparel and Equipment

    • Because a football referee can never have too much gear, an apparel package can make for an ideal birthday gift. This package usually includes a full uniform -- white knickers and black-and-white striped shirt -- black or white hat, black leather belt and striped socks. Obtain the referee's measurements to customize the uniform to fit exactly right. You can also add a referee's equipment bag, which is compartmentalized to hold shoes, gloves, phones, penalty flags, whistles and jackets.