I have a feeling this post will attract a lot of attention.
Why you ask?
The word FIFA in it of course!
I’ve seen a lot of posts from referees around the world about getting stuff/equipment from FIFA and I always wondered how to do it so in a nutshell, here’s what I did to nail this scoop of items.
Direct Approach
This was trial and error because the first time certainly didn’t work. Simple as it was, I chatted with the referees who did get the equipment and they said it took a simple letter to the FIFA Refereeing Department. I drafted my own letter and sent it in but to my disappointment received a reply letter a few weeks later short of any satisfactory response. I would attach the response I got here but it was a vague referral.
Being Long-winded
This left me thinking for half a year (subconsciously of course). Having deciphered a pattern that most of the successful enquirers were from within UEFA, I decided to try an alternate avenue; mailing from within. I drafted another letter quickly and had it sent through a friend in Europe to FIFA in Switzerland (their mailing address is on their website). In the not too distant future, he let me know that a reply was received that looked promising and forwarded it straight on to me. Well you see the pictures above on exactly what I’ve got!
The manifest exactly included:
- Fair Play Sticker
- FIFA Sticker
- Yellow & Red Cards
- FIFA Coin
- FIFA Laws of the Game 2013-2014
Using It
It was nice to get an additional pair of cards; FIFA cards that too. The previous pair I won at Week 13’s education session last year was sealed in an airtight ziplock bag to be stored for generations… Na I kid. Just about the generations part. They look so perfect and pristine though so I didn’t want to dirty/smug them so I left them as is tucked away in my collection of referee things. With an additional pair of cards, it begs the question what to do now… Perhaps for the big games.
Two stickers as well as you saw. Will figure out where to use them soon. A nice back-up coin too. The coin I’ve used for the past year has been getting scratches and chips from the countless times it has struck the gym floor for my Futsal coin tosses. Too bad it isn’t the one ring from the Lord of the Rings and indestructible. That would be an awesome FIFA coin. Sign me up for one of those if you hear about it.
Last but not least is the Laws of the Game 2013/2014 in beautiful print. Bed-time reading.
Let me know if you faced the same problem or have success too.
Thank you Dutch Referee Blog for your help!
Refereeing the Beautiful Game 
So you just sent a letter to Fifa and got the items?
That’s it! Easy right?
Yes, but I have sent an email to FIFA and they responded that they can’t ship material to third parties. They said they only ship material to the federation. I’m a new referee and this is my passion, but I don’t know where to find these items. So can you tell me what to do?
Yes you have to mail. You cannot e-mail them. It can depend on your location as well.
My location is in Albania. You think that sending emails won’t work?
They don’t accept e-mail. You will have to mail.
Yes, they accept messages. I sent this message using FIFA.com (Contact FIFA) and they responded me the way that I told you.
Sorry what I meant to say is that if you contact them via e-mail, you will get the same negative response.
Mail has been a lot more fruitful and is also inexpensive.
OK. What did you write to them? And in what address you sent the letter.
The FIFA address posted. Make it Attn: Refereeing Dept.
Just request the equipment above and explain your predicament.
What can I say to them? In your opinion.
Explain your situation in refereeing and that you would like the items for support.
Thank you for your help.
No problem!
You wrote that the letter you wrote from your country didn’t work. So I must send the letter from another country or it will work if I send it from my country?
You’ll be fine from within UEFA.
Do you offer them? I am a referee from the Netherlands, but I can’t buy the cards anywhere.
I wish! You have to directly ask FIFA for them.
Hi I know its been years, but do yout think they would send it to me now? And how long did you wait for the reply?
Ah I wouldn’t count on it. I think they suspended that program last I heard.
OK, thank you…
I tought they would send me but if that is true… I hope Allah rewards you for replying to me after all these years…