Base layers

Caltek

SILVER ELITE
What's everyone's thoughts on under armour or similar base layers? Do you require to match uniform color like high school? Just asking because I had a ref a few weeks back not allow shin guard straps since they didn't match socks color. He also said base layer had to match uniform top.
 
What's everyone's thoughts on under armour or similar base layers? Do you require to match uniform color like high school? Just asking because I had a ref a few weeks back not allow shin guard straps since they didn't match socks color. He also said base layer had to match uniform top.

The craziness has already started and it's not even cold weather yet.
 
Depends for me

National Cup
Crl
National league
An assessment

All should match as the league wants it and pushes it.

Other than those I could care less and would never say a word about it.
 
Depends for me

National Cup
Crl
National league
An assessment

All should match as the league wants it and pushes it.

Other than those I could care less and would never say a word about it.

All youth leagues should adopt a policy that in cases such as this where there is a color mismatch, but not significant enough to make it difficult for the referee to tell the player's team, to note the situation on the game report and allow the game to continue without further interference.
 
What's everyone's thoughts on under armour or similar base layers? Do you require to match uniform color like high school? Just asking because I had a ref a few weeks back not allow shin guard straps since they didn't match socks color. He also said base layer had to match uniform top.
The NFHS (high school) rules changed this year so that a base layer only needs to be "of similar length, all solid and of a like color." The IFAB LOTG remain the same, i.e. the base layer needs to match the uniform color. Both IFAB and NFHS still require shin guard straps or tape to match the color of the part of the sock it is attached to.

I also have the captains wear the captain armband on the arm rather than use it as a shinguard strap.

If all referees enforced these requirements then I don't think there would be an issue. The problem is when you tell a player to fix the uniform problem the response from the coach/player/parent many times is that there hasn't been an issue in the past with other referees. How many complaints do we see in this forum about inconsistent referees?
 
What's everyone's thoughts on under armour or similar base layers? Do you require to match uniform color like high school? Just asking because I had a ref a few weeks back not allow shin guard straps since they didn't match socks color. He also said base layer had to match uniform top.

Shin guard straps matching the socks is completely different than under armor shirts. Anything on the socks is required to match the socks. Not a hard one to enforce and does not effect the youth player health or safety by complying. The under armor is supposed to match the jersey. But, referees should use common sense with youth players. If it is cold and raining and the player’s jersey is white and the long sleeve under armor is black, no referee with common sense would tell a youth player to take the mismatched under armor jersey off. Some youth leagues like HS, CRL, National Cup and DA don’t give us a choice, but the coaches and players know jerseys and under armor must match and have the correct uniform items. Parents know the color of their kids uniforms and should purchase a long sleeve under armor for each color.
 
If it is cold and raining and the player’s jersey is white and the long sleeve under armor is black, no referee with common sense would tell a youth player to take the mismatched under armor jersey off.

..."common sense"... is not universal.
 
The common sense also applies to parents. They know the color of their kid’s jerseys, so they should buy the correct colors of under armor.

The requirement that children follow the same dress code rules as professionals whose uniform is provided free is unnecessary. Someone at the league and State level should have the balls to stand up and say so.
 
Our shorts are black. Girl on my team a big growth spurt and her black shorts no longer fit. She’s been wearing navy shorts the past few weeks. No issue from the refs.
But this week, I told her parents to get her a pair of black shorts. If the ref or opposing coach have an issue, I won’t have much of a case.
 
What's everyone's thoughts on under armour or similar base layers? Do you require to match uniform color like high school? Just asking because I had a ref a few weeks back not allow shin guard straps since they didn't match socks color. He also said base layer had to match uniform top.

We had our monthly referee association meeting the Tuesday before the season started last month and that was one of the main issues that they went over and over. Seems like a small issue but it is in The Laws of the Game.
 
The requirement that children follow the same dress code rules as professionals whose uniform is provided free is unnecessary. Someone at the league and State level should have the balls to stand up and say so.

BS, parents have to buy cleats and shin guards, so just pick up two cheap under armor shirts that match the jersey. It is not that difficult to comply with the rules.
 
BS, parents have to buy cleats and shin guards, so just pick up two cheap under armor shirts that match the jersey. It is not that difficult to comply with the rules.

Cheap?

It's a sad situation when the "solution" to an irritating problem is that the parents should spend more money.
 
BS, parents have to buy cleats and shin guards, so just pick up two cheap under armor shirts that match the jersey. It is not that difficult to comply with the rules.

Plus color matching compression undershorts + color matching headbands + another set of headbands without the knots and next thing you know you have 8 different pieces to buy & carry that some will hassle you over if they don't match or they don't like them. This all happen to both my kids this past season no big deal but I won't say BS.
 
Plus color matching compression undershorts + color matching headbands + another set of headbands without the knots and next thing you know you have 8 different pieces to buy & carry that some will hassle you over if they don't match or they don't like them. This all happen to both my kids this past season no big deal but I won't say BS.
Back in my day...... we didn’t need no compression shorts or long sleeves. In fact we played barefoot in the snow and the field was up a big hill.

In all seriousness, any games except where they force us to enforce that stuff, I don’t bother with it. The shin guard thing sock thing..... it’s been long enough where they know better and I’ll mention it, but it’s not something I’ll make a stand on.
 
Yes, we need to make sure uniforms are uniform. But refusing to allow a kid to play because their tights or compression shirt is a different color is lame. The sock straps issue is even lamer. There are so many variants of swooshes, stripes and other things on socks these days, if a ref can't tell the difference due to a shin guard strap, s/he has much bigger issues.
 
The sock and undershirt issue- is that mostly so a ref can tell who kicked the ball for a throw, corner or goal kick?
From my view from the technical area, refs are only about 80% accurate on those anyway. And I don’t argue if they (in my opinion) get it wrong.

Was there major incident somewhere that caused this rule to be put in place?
 
The sock and undershirt issue- is that mostly so a ref can tell who kicked the ball for a throw, corner or goal kick?
From my view from the technical area, refs are only about 80% accurate on those anyway. And I don’t argue if they (in my opinion) get it wrong.

Was there major incident somewhere that caused this rule to be put in place?

What I heard about the sock-tape issue when it came up was that some teams (coaches?) used brightly colored tape on the socks of their best striker to help his teammates find his feet in the crowd in front of the goal. Apparently the older technique of outfitting that player with fluorescent-colored shoes was no longer good enough.
 
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