Base layers

Extrapolating this forward, if this is really a problem, when a team is wearing their white jerseys, shouldn't only the white kids should be allowed to play?

Really, it is a stupid thing for a referee to make a big deal about in MOST of the leagues we officiate. Unless the competition authority wants us to enforce it, we should only enforce what is needed to make the game fair. Why pick this as a thing that gets the game started on the wrong foot. I'd consider it part of game management.

Parents. If you are buying a LS compression shirt, plan on buying one for each jersey they have. If you know they aren't going to enforce it strictly and you want to save $10, then just buy the white one. Know this though, eventually, you'll run into a ref that either is required to enforce it, wants to be king of the world or is being assessed/evaluated and you're going to wish your player had the right color.
 
Here’s the thing about baselayers for playing in So Cal. It really doesn’t ever get cold enough that it’s needed for anything other than warm up or maybe the first few minutes of a game.
Nobody is getting hypothermia or frost bite at 55 degrees.
 
Extrapolating this forward, if this is really a problem, when a team is wearing their white jerseys, shouldn't only the white kids should be allowed to play?

Really, it is a stupid thing for a referee to make a big deal about in MOST of the leagues we officiate. Unless the competition authority wants us to enforce it, we should only enforce what is needed to make the game fair. Why pick this as a thing that gets the game started on the wrong foot. I'd consider it part of game management.

Parents. If you are buying a LS compression shirt, plan on buying one for each jersey they have. If you know they aren't going to enforce it strictly and you want to save $10, then just buy the white one. Know this though, eventually, you'll run into a ref that either is required to enforce it, wants to be king of the world or is being assessed/evaluated and you're going to wish your player had the right color.
It's a stupid law. Hard to find exactly matching colors to the royal blue/grey/navy blue/green, red and other colored uniforms, with stripes and sponsor logos. Saw lots of kids out there today in black/white tights and undershirts, under their red, blue, green, white and other mixed uniforms (errrrr, kits.) No one got confused about which team they were on.

And as you note, why should a long sleeve undershirt MATCH the jersey? Not too many players out there have the same colored skin on their arms and legs as their jersey and shorts. How on earth can referees tell what team these players are on with all these different skin tones? Makes more sense that it's a CONTRAST color to the jersey and shorts, so as to mimic the varying skin that are different from the uniform (kit) on all the other players without underlayers.

Unless they (IFAB) think referees are complete idiots, this law is all about uniformity and asthetics.
 
Here’s the thing about baselayers for playing in So Cal. It really doesn’t ever get cold enough that it’s needed for anything other than warm up or maybe the first few minutes of a game.
Nobody is getting hypothermia or frost bite at 55 degrees.
Is that the standard for what you wear, whether you will get frostbite or hypothermia? So you walk around when its raining, windy and in the 50s in shorts and a short sleeve shirt? OK.

When you are sweating and in wind, you can get cold fast. Nothing wrong with an underlayer.
 
It's a stupid law. Hard to find exactly matching colors to the royal blue/grey/navy blue/green, red and other colored uniforms, with stripes and sponsor logos. Saw lots of kids out there today in black/white tights and undershirts, under their red, blue, green, white and other mixed uniforms (errrrr, kits.) No one got confused about which team they were on.

And as you note, why should a long sleeve undershirt MATCH the jersey? Not too many players out there have the same colored skin on their arms and legs as their jersey and shorts. How on earth can referees tell what team these players are on with all these different skin tones? Makes more sense that it's a CONTRAST color to the jersey and shorts, so as to mimic the varying skin that are different from the uniform (kit) on all the other players without underlayers.

Unless they (IFAB) think referees are complete idiots, this law is all about uniformity and asthetics.
I think having the same undershirt revolves around you don’t want opposite teams being the same color sleeve so that if there are elbows flying it doesn’t get confusing. Akin obviously can create the same confusion so to me it is not a big deal.
 
Is that the standard for what you wear, whether you will get frostbite or hypothermia? So you walk around when its raining, windy and in the 50s in shorts and a short sleeve shirt? OK.

When you are sweating and in wind, you can get cold fast. Nothing wrong with an underlayer.
No. But have you gone running / exercised in 55-60 degree weather lately? You are cold for about 5 minutes and then want to remove the long sleeves.
Do a proper warm up. If you are on the bench at first, put on a sweatshirt. Players on the field should be fine.
 
No. But have you gone running / exercised in 55-60 degree weather lately? You are cold for about 5 minutes and then want to remove the long sleeves.
Do a proper warm up. If you are on the bench at first, put on a sweatshirt. Players on the field should be fine.
No wonder Under Armor, Nike and the rest are losing money. They have it all wrong.

As are all they players that want or love their under layers. Silly kids for shivering and not knowing how to warm up in the rain. Especially the backs that do little to nothing as their team dominates the opponent.
 
......so that if there are elbows flying......

I really want to laugh when some parent yells, “come on ref they are throwing elbows” of “come on ref there are elbows flying everywhere.” I heard the second one yesterday. I just want to yell, “everyone get down, there are elbows flying” or “whoever is throwing elbows please don’t throw them onto the field.” It just sound so stupid when a parent yells, “they are throwing elbows.”
 
I really want to laugh when some parent yells, “come on ref they are throwing elbows” of “come on ref there are elbows flying everywhere.” I heard the second one yesterday. I just want to yell, “everyone get down, there are elbows flying” or “whoever is throwing elbows please don’t throw them onto the field.” It just sound so stupid when a parent yells, “they are throwing elbows.”
Especially when those elbows are a different color that the jersey. It's like raining cats and dogs on Halloween!
 
Uniforms that aren't uniform, are well, not very good uniforms. If you watch a random 1 minute clip of kids, or adults, playing and their uniforms are all over the place, then you automatically assume it is a crappy league that doesn't take itself seriously. If one kid has a white shin guard holder over blue socks and another kid has fluorescent rainbow tape holding his shin guards so high that they protect his knees more than his shins. It just looks sloppy and unprofessional.

If the parents and kids (and league to some extent) don't care about looking professional, then I don't care. I'm not a stickler. If I am on 1 of two fields, go ahead, knock yourself out and keep on the leg warmers and LS undershirt that doesn't match each other or the uniform. I'll just go throw on my old style ref uniform and let it get some wear and tear so my nice (expensive) new ones don't fade as fast and I'll throw on my hat to save my eyes and skin from the sun.

But if I am on a complex with many people and college scouts watching, or I am doing a college game or high school playoff match that will have clips on KUSI news, then you bet I am going to be stricter on uniforms. If they look better, it makes me look better because it looks like I am reffing people that care about the game. As opposed to reffing a kid that has a uniform 2 sizes too big untucked with a random headband and unmatching socks. I might as well be a rec ref at that point.
 
I really want to laugh when some parent yells, “come on ref they are throwing elbows” of “come on ref there are elbows flying everywhere.” I heard the second one yesterday. I just want to yell, “everyone get down, there are elbows flying” or “whoever is throwing elbows please don’t throw them onto the field.” It just sound so stupid when a parent yells, “they are throwing elbows.”
A coach said to me a while ago "She is swinging her elbows while she is running!" I looked at the coach and said, "Can you show me a running motion where you don't swing your elbows?"
After 2 seconds of silence I pressed my elbows to my body and penguin style ran back to my position. I was 17 then lol. Wouldn't do it now, but kinda glad I did then.
 
Uniforms that aren't uniform, are well, not very good uniforms. If you watch a random 1 minute clip of kids, or adults, playing and their uniforms are all over the place, then you automatically assume it is a crappy league that doesn't take itself seriously. If one kid has a white shin guard holder over blue socks and another kid has fluorescent rainbow tape holding his shin guards so high that they protect his knees more than his shins. It just looks sloppy and unprofessional.

If the parents and kids (and league to some extent) don't care about looking professional, then I don't care. I'm not a stickler. If I am on 1 of two fields, go ahead, knock yourself out and keep on the leg warmers and LS undershirt that doesn't match each other or the uniform. I'll just go throw on my old style ref uniform and let it get some wear and tear so my nice (expensive) new ones don't fade as fast and I'll throw on my hat to save my eyes and skin from the sun.

But if I am on a complex with many people and college scouts watching, or I am doing a college game or high school playoff match that will have clips on KUSI news, then you bet I am going to be stricter on uniforms. If they look better, it makes me look better because it looks like I am reffing people that care about the game. As opposed to reffing a kid that has a uniform 2 sizes too big untucked with a random headband and unmatching socks. I might as well be a rec ref at that point.

I'm fine with this for higher levels of soccer, but in most rec and lower levels of competitive, you're being too picky. Like an earlier poster said, if you can't referee properly with some kids wearing different color shin straps, etc. you have bigger problems...
 
I'm fine with this for higher levels of soccer, but in most rec and lower levels of competitive, you're being too picky. Like an earlier poster said, if you can't referee properly with some kids wearing different color shin straps, etc. you have bigger problems...
That is the point I made, you must have missed it. Understand the purpose of a uniform uniform, and decide whether it really applies to the league you are reffing.
Just like in art, before you break a rule, know why it exists in the first place, and then break it if you so choose.
If I want to look good, I will make the kids look good, but most of the time, me looking good is a non issue.

But I would argue that we do regularly ref "higher levels" of soccer where the uniform requirements are important. Ie: high school playoffs, DA, Surf and Manchester City Cup, knockout stages of slightly less prestigious tournaments like Albion and Rebels Cup that are still pretty big, etc.
 
That is the point I made, you must have missed it. Understand the purpose of a uniform uniform, and decide whether it really applies to the league you are reffing.
Just like in art, before you break a rule, know why it exists in the first place, and then break it if you so choose.
If I want to look good, I will make the kids look good, but most of the time, me looking good is a non issue.

But I would argue that we do regularly ref "higher levels" of soccer where the uniform requirements are important. Ie: high school playoffs, DA, Surf and Manchester City Cup, knockout stages of slightly less prestigious tournaments like Albion and Rebels Cup that are still pretty big, etc.

Nonsense.
 
That is the point I made, you must have missed it. Understand the purpose of a uniform uniform, and decide whether it really applies to the league you are reffing.
Just like in art, before you break a rule, know why it exists in the first place, and then break it if you so choose.
If I want to look good, I will make the kids look good, but most of the time, me looking good is a non issue.

But I would argue that we do regularly ref "higher levels" of soccer where the uniform requirements are important. Ie: high school playoffs, DA, Surf and Manchester City Cup, knockout stages of slightly less prestigious tournaments like Albion and Rebels Cup that are still pretty big, etc.
You missed our point. No one cares what the kids kits look like (messy, unprofessional, home made, local...) except you, some assessors apparently, and others with a mis-guided sense of what's important.

To not let a kid play because of mis-colored shin straps or undergarments is the domain of delf-important douche bags. Kind of like the visiting team coaches that switch colors in hopes that the home team doesn't have their alternate.
 
You missed our point. No one cares what the kids kits look like (messy, unprofessional, home made, local...) except you, some assessors apparently, and others with a mis-guided sense of what's important.

To not let a kid play because of mis-colored shin straps or undergarments is the domain of delf-important douche bags. Kind of like the visiting team coaches that switch colors in hopes that the home team doesn't have their alternate.
You missed my point. I don't care what the kids look like either, it is all up to the league caring what they want to look like.
 
Okay, let me try to rephrase my point from earlier. First, let me start off with: I have never prevented a kid from playing a game due to uniform issues. Also, I only ever ask a kid to comply with base layer and shin guard strap protocol if the game is being televised. Even then, it is a quick fix and mostly they don't mind.

My next point is that a team with a uniform and several different color base layers and shin guard straps and tape looks sloppy. Period. I recognize it, parents recognize it. We cannot stop the fact that we are visual, judgmental creatures that will subconsciously let our first impressions color our perspective.

In my opinions, having a sloppy uniform is just as bad as having a sloppy warm-up. I reffed a game this past weekend and the U17 boys barely warmed up. They screwed around, mostly took shots while they cussed and goofed around, never stretched, and the coach didn't mind any of this. Immediately I thought: "Here is a team that does not take themselves seriously, they have no aspirations of getting better, and they do not care whether they win or lose this game...that much".

A sloppy uniform says the same things but to a lesser degree.

My earlier message was not to refs to stop the uniform issues. We should not and could not care less.
My earlier message was to parents who complain about the rules existence like it is the most stupid non-sensical thing in the world.
That rule is there to help you and your team look better, and if you want to express your individuality despite a uniform, then more power to you; you showed "the man" what's up.
 
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