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THUMBNAIL
Law 4, equipment, is basically
divided into two sections: items a player may not use or wear, and
equipment which a player must wear. The primary consideration of
this law is safety. After that, the Law ensures that players look like a
soccer team, and that they do not gain an unfair advantage merely through
superior equipment, such as a helmet to assist heading.
The Law says a player may not wear
anything which may be harmful to himself or another player (and
specifically bans all kinds of jewelry). It also specifies that a player
must wear a jersey or shirt, shorts, stockings, shinguards and footwear
(i.e., shoes). Goalkeepers must wear colors that distinguish them from
other players and the officials.
COMMENTARY
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Generally, a referee or assistant
referee will inspect players prior to a match, and obvious equipment
problems will be pointed out and corrected at that time. However, just
because the the players have passed this initial inspection, they are not
excused from complying with all the rules if the referee finds he has
missed something, or if they change something after the inspection. One of
the most frequent occurrences concerns shirts coming untucked during play,
in which case the referee may require them to be tucked back in. Law 4 is
enforceable throughout the match, and at all times while the referee is
present. The punishment for violations after the match has started is that
the referee will instruct the player to leave the field and correct the
problem. He cannot return without the permission of the referee, and his
team must therefore play short. If such a player reenters without
permission, he must be cautioned (yellow carded).
Safety is the prime consideration.
Nothing hard nor sharp will be permitted outside of the basic requirement
for shinguards and shoes. Nothing sharp is permitted in any circumstances.
In particular, jewelry must normally be removed: taping over is not
sufficient. Medical I.D. bracelets or necklaces are normally the only
possible exception, and are subject to the referee's decision on a
case-by-case basis. The referee will make a thorough examination of
non-required equipment such as caps and gloves, permitting or excluding
these also on a case-by-case basis.
QUESTIONS
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Law 4 only requires that shoes not
be dangerous to the wearer or to other players, so many ordinary sneakers
could pass minimum technical muster. Nevertheless, shoes are probably a
player's most important equipment consideration. The point of specially
designed soccer shoes is to give the player ideal traction and good feel
for and control of the ball. Coaches should advise players to buy shoes
made specifically for soccer. The shoes should have soft leather uppers
giving good feel for the ball. Other materials designed to impart
additional spin on the ball, etc., may be considered by advanced players.
Shoes should be snug to enhance feel, but comfortable.
The selection of stud types and
patterns depends on the field conditions. Most players prefer molded stud
shoes which are very versatile and can be used on dry grass, wet grass and
light mud. However, if the ground is very dry, indoor "flats" or
turf shoes (with many small studs, designed for artificial surfaces) will
work just as well as molded shoes and may be more comfortable, especially
if the ground is also very hard. When the ground is very muddy and soft,
molded studs or even "screw-ins" (shoes with six replaceable
studs) may provide optimum traction (these are the "6-stud
cleats" your son is talking about). The advantage of the 6-stud shoe
in these conditions is that the mud does not pack up between the studs. If
the ground is hard, however, players should not wear these cleats,
which are likely to hurt their feet.
For indoor play, soccer shoes with
flat soles are advisable; turf shoes may give too much traction and should
be avoided. In truth, indoor soccer can be played with just about any type
of "tennis" shoe or sneaker, even basketball shoes. For Futsal
soccer on a basketball court, basketball shoes may even be preferable.
Players with wide feet may have
trouble finding shoes that fit and are comfortable. You will find a
tremendous amount of variation from one manufacturer to another: all
players have their favorite shoes, and all the reputable manufacturers
make shoes of good quality. In general, expect to get what you pay for,
but shop around and don't buy top-of-the-line shoes just because your
child wants them in order to look cool! Depending on the age of the child
and the rate of growth, these shoes may only last a single season, so buy
accordingly. Remember: Pelé played barefoot for years!
The Law no longer makes any
particular technical specifications such as material or stud size, so it
is up to each individual referee to rule in each specific case whether a
shoe may or may not be used. Generally, since safety is the issue, the
question is whether or not the studs have sharp edges which might cut
another player. For that reason, shoes designed for other sports,
particularly baseball, are not acceptable because the studs have
sharp corners and edges. Metal studs are fine as long as they are not
worn or sharpened in any way that creates a sharp edge. Because sharp
edges can be a problem, some recreational leagues do not allow metal studs
at all.
In choosing uniforms, coaches
should first think about player comfort. What is the weather like where
you play most of the time? Do you want long sleeves or short sleeves?
Heavier material or light? Dark colors or light? Light colors reflect heat
and are the first choice if your team plays lots of mid- day games in hot
climates. Humidity is a factor. Shirts that breathe are very important if
you play a lot in humid conditions. Long sleeves can be advantages
indoors, or if you play outdoor night games in the fall.
As you obviously know, goalkeepers
are required to wear uniforms which distinguish them from their teammates.
This is to enable the referee to distinguish the keeper -- who is the only
player allowed to use his hands -- from the remainder of the players. But
what colour were your opponents wearing? If they were in yellow, the
referee would have had a lot of trouble distinguishing your keeper from
them. This is almost certainly why he required the change.
Some referees may allow both
keepers to wear the same jersey, as sometimes happens. Others may require
one or both keepers to change, since it is possible for both keepers to be
in the same area of the field simultaneously, especially late in the game
if one team is behind by a goal and sends their keeper up to take part in
a corner or free kick. In this case, you will just have to abide by the
referee's decision, whatever it is. Tip: It's a good idea to have a
couple of pinnies or t-shirts in different colours available for this
eventuality.
Uniforms lend themselves to a
number of tactical considerations which can spill over into gamesmanship,
which in turn will be considered unsporting conduct by some referees. For
example, it is easier for a player to spot a teammate by sock color than
by shirt color, so coaches should consider selecting bright, easily seen
socks in colors easy to pick out from a green background. But if you see
an opponent trying to get away with wearing brightly colored socks
different from his team, point him out to the referee... he's probably a
striker or target player trying to make it easy for his teammates to find
him! Although not strictly illegal under Law 4, interpretation and most
local rules prohibit this kind of gamesmanship.
Similarly, it is usually best for
goalkeepers to wear very bright colors and make themselves easily seen in
order to encourage opponents to shoot directly at them. This extends to
your other players: depending on your club colors, light, bright shirt
colors that contrast with green and stand out from other teams in your
league should be selected. Most local and tournament rules require that
the home team be prepared to change colors if both teams have shirts too
similar to one another. The most cost effective route to go here is to
keep a full set of pinnies in an alternative color in the equipment shed
at your home field, if you have one.
Yes. Believe it or not, the FIFA
LOTG do not require numbers on jerseys. However, it is unlikely you will
ever encounter a referee who will permit play to begin without each player
being numbered, or at the very least, some way to identify each individual
player. Why? Because if someone misbehaves, the referee must have a way to
identify and report this person to the disciplinarians. Presumably, FIFA
considers that asking the player for his name is sufficient. In any event,
rules about numbering are local rules, and they may differ from league to
league and area to area.
As a humorous aside, our local rule
used to state that "EVERY player must have a permanent number on his
shirt and it must be different from all the other numbers on the
team" We had an otherwise very good referee who tended to take rules
to their extreme. So when he began carrying a marker pen so he could write
a number on $80 goalkeeper jerseys if they didn't have a number sewn or
heat pressed, we had to change the rule. Now it says every player except
the GK....! We figure we can identify the goalkeepers easily enough just
by jersey color.
The most common other local rules
deal with additional equipment which may be worn by goalkeepers and/or
field players in bad weather. It is fairly common to allow GKs to wear
long pants indoors or when a field is hard or rough. The goalkeeper for
UConn in the 1997 NCAA women's final wore long pants, presumably because
the field was frozen, and the wearing of long pants is increasingly common
among professional keepers. FIFA rules permit sliders, compression shorts,
bike pants, etc., to be worn under shorts so long as they are the same
color as the shorts. Unfortunately, referees at the local level are not
consistent about how they enforce this rule.
Many youth leagues, as a matter of
common sense, permit kids to wear long pants or sweat pants under their
shorts when it is cold or raining. They may also permit gloves and soft
caps (stocking caps or knit ski caps, for instance). However, there often
will be a rule that if one player wears them, everyone must wear them and
they must all be the same, if the rule is actually part of the code. If
you are playing in another jurisdiction, you should make a point of
checking their local rules on players' equipment beforehand.
In US high school soccer, the
National Federation (NF) makes a distinction between items worn for
function (sweat bands or head bands, for instance) and items worn for
decorative purposes. Players are not allowed to wear decorative items.
Girls' teams tend to push this rule to the limit with equipment to control
hair, and its pretty hard to tell where a hair control device in school
colors stops being functional and starts being decorative. The bottom line
is that referees have considerable latitude in deciding what is and is not
permitted, and players simply have to accept the referee's decision, even
if it seems idiosyncratic.
Casts and braces are a difficult
issue. FIFA does not mention them...they are entirely a local issue
(although in the USA, the NF book goes into more detail). Basically, most
leagues leave it entirely up to the referee to determine if they are safe
or not, if they are padded enough or not, and during play, if they are
being used as a weapon or not. Some tournaments will allow players with
casts to participate providing the cast has been pre-approved by a
tournament official. In this case, they may want to photograph the
cast so that the referee can see exactly what was approved and compare it
with the cast's condition at game time.
Probably the most important thing
for players and coaches to know about these items is that just because one
referee allowed them does not mean the next referee must or will allow
them...it will be game to game, and players and coaches must be mentally
prepared for the times when those with casts or braces will not be allowed
to play. Orthodontic braces pose some risk to the player wearing them as
well, that their lips and mouth could get caught or cut by impacts with
the ball, other players, or the ground, and require a trip to the
emergency room for stitches. It might be a good idea for these players to
invest in custom-fitted mouth guards from their dentist (about $30-35
U.S.) for their own safety (cheaper store bought ones might do, but may
not be nearly as comfortable to wear and breathe through).
The very first section of Law 4
seems to include a flat prohibition of jewelry ("A player must not
use equipment or wear anything which is dangerous to himself or another
player (including any kind of jewellery)"), and this is in fact the
interpretion in many localities and by many referees. However, this is not
necessarily the way Law 4 is regarded and enforced everywhere and by every
referee. Once again, the bottom line is that the referee's word is law,
even if it's not the same as what your last ref said. Some referees (not
many) will allow neck chains; some will allow earring studs; some will
allow studs if taped over; some will require every scrap of jewelry to be
removed. It all depends how sensitive a ref is to the issue of player
safety; some may err on the side of caution, while others may be more
willing to allow players to play with some jewelry in place, as long as it
does not appear to be dangerous.
No, the referee was quite right.
Shinguards must be worn, and they must be commercially available products
designed to protect the shins, not some temporary item intended to comply
with the letter, not the spirit, of the Law. In other words, they must
consist of material sufficiently rigid and hard to provide reasonable
protection against injury for the player's legs. Every year, players
suffer serious lower leg injuries despite wearing proper shinguards;
all the more reason to ensure that all players have good protective
equipment. The referee would have been negligent if he had allowed your
player on the field.
Note 1: there
are some commercially available shin guards which meet the letter of the
law, but which are unacceptable except in very young age groups. These are
the so-called "sock guards": cloth leg and ankle wrappings which
are filled with foam rubber. These offer no protection to older players,
and no good referee will permit them.
Note 2: sometimes
older players will come to a match wearing small shinguards clearly meant
for much younger players. These also violate the provisions of Law 4, as
they do not provide the required degree of reasonable protection, and the
referee's should not permit players to wear them.
©
1998 jointly in the following individuals: Jim Geissman, David Graham, Jim
MacQueen, Connie Matthies, Jim Meinhold, Chris Mohr, Gary Rue, Ken Smith,
Dave Teetz, Ron Tremper, who are together known pseudonymously as the
SOCCER-COACH-L LOTG COLLECTIVE
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