Contrasting Socks from Other Team?

L

lastkid

BRONZE
State Cup in Lancaster this weekend... refs make the boys on our home team switch to a different color of socks from the away team. Pretty clear that the home team must switch jerseys if necessary for contrast from other team, but this is the first time I've heard of a ref crew making the players remove their cleats and switch socks moments before a game. The refs explained it was a new rule and they were getting more picky in the later rounds of State Cup.

The refs said it makes it easier to determine who kicked the ball out of bounds etc. I actually buy into that argument, but I have not been able to find anything that would require players to make a change like that right when they are in their final preparations for a game (with parents running to cars to search through luggage to find the dirty socks from the prior day's game).

Did the ref crew feed us a load of BS causing a unnecessary fire drill, or were they enforcing actual laws of the game?
 
lastkid said:
State Cup in Lancaster this weekend... refs make the boys on our home team switch to a different color of socks from the away team. Pretty clear that the home team must switch jerseys if necessary for contrast from other team, but this is the first time I've heard of a ref crew making the players remove their cleats and switch socks moments before a game. The refs explained it was a new rule and they were getting more picky in the later rounds of State Cup.

The refs said it makes it easier to determine who kicked the ball out of bounds etc. I actually buy into that argument, but I have not been able to find anything that would require players to make a change like that right when they are in their final preparations for a game (with parents running to cars to search through luggage to find the dirty socks from the prior day's game).

Did the ref crew feed us a load of BS causing a unnecessary fire drill, or were they enforcing actual laws of the game?
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It says uniform. So, yes. Socks are part of the uniform. But, in a youth game I think that's going overboard.
 
Just a Parent said:
It says uniform. So, yes. Socks are part of the uniform. But, in a youth game I think that's going overboard.
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Is this "it"?

7.4. The home team is listed first in the schedule, shall have choice of team bench. Whenever possible, the field layout will be set so both teams sit on the same side of the field with the team’s spectators sitting opposite of their team bench and not past the center line. The home team shall change jerseys if the referee decides there is a color conflict, and shall supply the game balls.
 
espola said:
Is this "it"?

7.4. The home team is listed first in the schedule, shall have choice of team bench. Whenever possible, the field layout will be set so both teams sit on the same side of the field with the team’s spectators sitting opposite of their team bench and not past the center line. The home team shall change jerseys if the referee decides there is a color conflict, and shall supply the game balls.
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No.
 
There is no way all of the players on my son's team would have thought to have brought alternate socks! Jerseys, yes, but socks, no way.
 
NOVA.Dad said:
There is no way all of the players on my son's team would have thought to have brought alternate socks! Jerseys, yes, but socks, no way.
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When I was a team manager, I usually had pairs of new socks in both colors in my game bag available for sale to players or their parents. If there was a sports equipment tent at a tournament I would shop for good prices.
 
Just a Parent said:
This not being a nhfs-organized match, why in the world would I have NFHS rules in mind?
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The first thought that came to my mind when I read the original post was that perhaps the referees in question had just finished their high school work and were mistakenly applying NFHS rules. The NFHAS sock rules have been in place since at least 2o10, when my younger son graduated.

However, based on your statement that "it says uniform", I realized I may have been mistaken.

What is "it" again?
 
Those "Okapi" style socks from Adidas don't make things any easier if the two teams have the same two colors. Blue on the bottom fading to white on top look very similar to white bottoms fading to blue tops.

I saw a high school game this past season where the opposing team (who is supposed to where white socks) where wearing dark blue socks except for one kid wearing black socks and one kid wearing Albion white and blue socks.
 
Im not sure on Calsouth policy during state cup regarding the socks. However, the laws of the game do not explicitly state anything regarding matching socks. It does state what can be applied to the socks or not. Just looking at the laws of the game it states that colors should not clash so it is implicitly stating socks shall not clash, refer to LAW 4 Section 3.

Look at it this way, is it professional for teams in a serious tournament to wear the same sock colors? No. The teams on TV wear contrasting shirts, shorts and socks 99% of the time. Even referees are expected to wear a color that doesn't clash.

Socks matching the opposing team make it harder on the players and officials because there are miscued passes and out of bounds situations that make officiating a nightmare. After all most players and referees are looking down at the legs when making passes or decisions.

Just imagine being an AR and two teams are wearing white socks and they're across the field and you're not sure if the ball was played by the attacking or defending team in certain situations and you're in no man's land for an offside decision or whether it's a goal kick or corner kick. One of the most annoying sights during the adult games I officiate.

All teams should own two pairs of jerseys and two pairs of socks!
 
If referees in U9 to U13 games have trouble distinguishing which player kicked the ball out of play because of sock color, then maybe they should not be working those games. I officiate teams with matching socks all the time and NEVER have problems due to sock color. I have never worked with a referee on a youth game that made a team change their socks due to color. When my daughter was younger and playing club she was never on a team that had two sock colors.
 
Art said:
Im not sure on Calsouth policy during state cup regarding the socks. However, the laws of the game do not explicitly state anything regarding matching socks. It does state what can be applied to the socks or not. Just looking at the laws of the game it states that colors should not clash so it is implicitly stating socks shall not clash, refer to LAW 4 Section 3.

Look at it this way, is it professional for teams in a serious tournament to wear the same sock colors? No. The teams on TV wear contrasting shirts, shorts and socks 99% of the time. Even referees are expected to wear a color that doesn't clash.

Socks matching the opposing team make it harder on the players and officials because there are miscued passes and out of bounds situations that make officiating a nightmare. After all most players and referees are looking down at the legs when making passes or decisions.

Just imagine being an AR and two teams are wearing white socks and they're across the field and you're not sure if the ball was played by the attacking or defending team in certain situations and you're in no man's land for an offside decision or whether it's a goal kick or corner kick. One of the most annoying sights during the adult games I officiate.

All teams should own two pairs of jerseys and two pairs of socks!
Click to expand...

This whole topic is BS. Maybe you think they should have multiple pairs of cleats so they can change if they match the other team. If a referee cannot do their job because two teams have matching socks, then maybe they should not be refereeing. I have worked many games played by two teams from the same club with the same color shorts, socks and most players with similar color cleats. The only difference was the jersey, and I and the other refs I worked with had no problems distinguishing between teams.
 
Crap, I feel lucky when I can find the one pair of matching socks my son is supposed to wear. Having to find two pairs before a game might put me over the edge. I'm thankful the team manager is responsible for the jerseys.
 
Surfref said:
This whole topic is BS. Maybe you think they should have multiple pairs of cleats so they can change if they match the other team. If a referee cannot do their job because two teams have matching socks, then maybe they should not be refereeing. I have worked many games played by two teams from the same club with the same color shorts, socks and most players with similar color cleats. The only difference was the jersey, and I and the other refs I worked with had no problems distinguishing between teams.
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You obviously woke up on the wrong side of the bed. The colors being similar are an issue. If the game is at a low level you will obviously have no problems. However, there's a reason why players at the higher levels are expected to be uniformed in a certain way.

Your cleats comments are irrelevant. Two players that come together on the touchline or goal line right under the eyes of the AR would be beasier to distinguish when they have two different CLEATS (cus you had to say something about that) and socks. Again, relates to the level. Hence, why the laws of the game explicitly state that uniforms should contrast. And that it implicitly mentions it regarding the socks.

If you don't want to follow the laws of the game, then don't. There's a reason why tournaments get less and less organized. Why games and leagues get trashy, and it's because people don't want to follow simple rules and protocols. Obviously, some of you are not very cultured when it comes to the sport.

So to the OP, that was the correct decision. They should have done it earlier, but since state cup is a cramped overpriced mess the refs can't be there any earlier because they're on another game.
 
Surfref said:
This whole topic is BS. Maybe you think they should have multiple pairs of cleats so they can change if they match the other team. If a referee cannot do their job because two teams have matching socks, then maybe they should not be refereeing. I have worked many games played by two teams from the same club with the same color shorts, socks and most players with similar color cleats. The only difference was the jersey, and I and the other refs I worked with had no problems distinguishing between teams.
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Yes, any referee that is so tunnel visioned that they can't see the whole players' jerseys, shorts and can only see the socks has bigger issues that won't be resolved with contrasting sock colors.
 
Art said:
You obviously woke up on the wrong side of the bed. The colors being similar are an issue. If the game is at a low level you will obviously have no problems. However, there's a reason why players at the higher levels are expected to be uniformed in a certain way.

Your cleats comments are irrelevant. Two players that come together on the touchline or goal line right under the eyes of the AR would be beasier to distinguish when they have two different CLEATS (cus you had to say something about that) and socks. Again, relates to the level. Hence, why the laws of the game explicitly state that uniforms should contrast. And that it implicitly mentions it regarding the socks.

If you don't want to follow the laws of the game, then don't. There's a reason why tournaments get less and less organized. Why games and leagues get trashy, and it's because people don't want to follow simple rules and protocols. Obviously, some of you are not very cultured when it comes to the sport.

So to the OP, that was the correct decision. They should have done it earlier, but since state cup is a cramped overpriced mess the refs can't be there any earlier because they're on another game.
Click to expand...
So riddle me this...many clubs have only one sock color. So if the home team's socks match the away team then the home team's players would not be allowed to enter the field because they don't have the "correct equipment" since they can't change sock color. If you allowed them on the field you wouldn't be following the LOTG and possibly worse, you would be considered uncultured. The home team would then have to forfeit. Do I have that correct, Art?
 
When I AR I love it when the socks are dissimilar. Its also not unusual that there may be substantial distance between the AR and the play. I have also found myself unable to definitively say what player last "touched" the ball that went out of bounds because the socks were the same and if the socks were a different color, I would have had an easier time of it.

I disagree that its easier at the lower levels. Its actually easier at the higher levels to correctly call who last touched the ball. Why? At the higher levels, the players tend to (1) not bunch up together and (2) play more purposeful, strategic and with more space ... 1 attacker and 1 defender with a support defender on the way.

At the lower levels and younger age groups the players are much less intelligent and frequently there will be a "scrum" near the touchline involving 3 to 4 and sometimes 5 bodies all going for that little white ball. Its these situations that have sometimes confounded me. 6-10 little pink legs all kickin widely at that poor little ball, dust flying, bodies weaving in and out, and then "bop" that little white ball flies out of bounds. I look at the Center, he looks at me with those unknowing brown eyes with the raised eyebrows and an ever so slight shrug of the shoulder. I, have that same blank expression, while I run through the evidence in my head as to which of those little pink clad legs the ball touched last.

At the higher levels its rare to see more than 3 players near the ball. 1 attacker and 2 defenders tops, the ball moves much more purposely and the sounds are much more distinct.
 
MWN said:
When I AR I love it when the socks are dissimilar. Its also not unusual that there may be substantial distance between the AR and the play. I have also found myself unable to definitively say what player last "touched" the ball that went out of bounds because the socks were the same and if the socks were a different color, I would have had an easier time of it.

I disagree that its easier at the lower levels. Its actually easier at the higher levels to correctly call who last touched the ball. Why? At the higher levels, the players tend to (1) not bunch up together and (2) play more purposeful, strategic and with more space ... 1 attacker and 1 defender with a support defender on the way.

At the lower levels and younger age groups the players are much less intelligent and frequently there will be a "scrum" near the touchline involving 3 to 4 and sometimes 5 bodies all going for that little white ball. Its these situations that have sometimes confounded me. 6-10 little pink legs all kickin widely at that poor little ball, dust flying, bodies weaving in and out, and then "bop" that little white ball flies out of bounds. I look at the Center, he looks at me with those unknowing brown eyes with the raised eyebrows and an ever so slight shrug of the shoulder. I, have that same blank expression, while I run through the evidence in my head as to which of those little pink clad legs the ball touched last.

At the higher levels its rare to see more than 3 players near the ball. 1 attacker and 2 defenders tops, the ball moves much more purposely and the sounds are much more distinct.
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When you just can't tell, give it to the team whose goal the ball traveled toward. If it went perfectly perpendicular give it to the team defending. If it went perfectly perpendicular exactly at mid-filed give it to the team whose parents whine the least.

Of course, none of this really matters.
 
Art said:
You obviously woke up on the wrong side of the bed. The colors being similar are an issue. If the game is at a low level you will obviously have no problems. However, there's a reason why players at the higher levels are expected to be uniformed in a certain way.

Your cleats comments are irrelevant. Two players that come together on the touchline or goal line right under the eyes of the AR would be beasier to distinguish when they have two different CLEATS (cus you had to say something about that) and socks. Again, relates to the level. Hence, why the laws of the game explicitly state that uniforms should contrast. And that it implicitly mentions it regarding the socks.

If you don't want to follow the laws of the game, then don't. There's a reason why tournaments get less and less organized. Why games and leagues get trashy, and it's because people don't want to follow simple rules and protocols. Obviously, some of you are not very cultured when it comes to the sport.

So to the OP, that was the correct decision. They should have done it earlier, but since state cup is a cramped overpriced mess the refs can't be there any earlier because they're on another game.
Click to expand...

No where in the State and National Cup rules, all Cal South sanctioned tournament rules, DA rules, ECNL Rules and AYSO rules does it say socks must be changed if they are the same color. They all talk about what to do if jerseys match.

As for the LOTG, they say the two teams must wear colors that distinguish them from each other. The LOTG do not say anything about what (jersey, shorts, socks, shoes) must be changed. That is left up to the gaming authorities such as MLS, EPL, ECNL, Cal South, etc. All Cal South requires, by their own rules, is that jerseys must be changed. So, I do follow the LOTG and the gaming authority rules. I truly hope that I have provided enough education for you and other, so when a ref asks you to change socks you can tell them that by the Cal South rules you are only required to change jerseys.

State Cup rules 7.4. The home team is listed first in the schedule, shall have choice of team bench. Whenever possible, the field layout will be set so both teams sit on the same side of the field with the team’s spectators sitting opposite of their team bench and not past the center line. The home team shall change jerseys if the referee decides there is a color conflict, and shall supply the game balls.

LOTG Law 4
3. Colours
The two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other and the match officials.
 
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