Why do referees check boots

In 30 years of playing, watching, and coaching club soccer, I've never seen shorts or socks changed at a ref's request. Maybe your league has a special rule though?

I agree with Mark to Eric's question above. The Laws of the Game state that the two teams must wear colors that distinguish them from each other and also the referee and the assistant referees.

On the youth level, it's expected that the shirts must contrast. NCAA soccer rules go a step further and state that both the shirts and socks must be a different color. I have found that teams arriving at the field, if the other team is already there and wearing the same color shirt, switch to their alternate jersey.

An even nicer example was an indoor league that I just completed officiating. There were 10 teams——one team wore lime green shirts, one wore yellow, one wore red and two wore black. No team wore blue shirts, the only USSF referee jersey color not worn by a team with a similar color shirt.

The team named the Hauppauge Blue Crew, however, wore white uniforms with blue trim and their other shirts are blue. So that the refs did not have to keep changing shirts between games, we asked the coach if his team would wear white shirts the entire season and he was very nice and agreed. I once had a college men's game in which both teams showed up at the field with the same colored socks.

While technically I could have made one team change their socks though I think the team that was supposed to change did not have an alternate color , the locker rooms were far from the fields and I didn't want to start the game with one team pissed off. I just told them that given the difficulty of distinguishing the opposing teams on quick out of bounds, they should give me the benefit of the doubt on those close calls. I didn't have any trouble. I tell them the child is not playing with the cast, no matter how it is wrapped.

Essentially, the cast is a club on the field! Great feedback, thanks guys. One more - what about eye glasses? Do players need to wear sport glasses or is that up to referee discretion? As this article was being put on the Internet today, I e-mailed SA's Mike Woitalla saying that I think readers' comments will be about eyeglasses.

This is partly what I wrote: A decade ago, US Soccer, in its wisdom, banned most eyeglasses as dangerous. High school rules, strangely, are more lenient. Yet coaches and parents would certainly not want their kids to wear reading glasses on the field.

Unfortunately, the information has not filtered down to all levels such as munchkins and Special Children. Unlike info on shinguards, which were made mandatory two decades ago.

It's a point that I have raised in the past that unfortunately the info has not gone to all levels of play. We need all leagues to be more knowledgeable and communicative on this issue. I certainly do not allow reading glasses in any of my games. During a futsal game that I refereed last Saturday, a BU13 player, changing on the fly, came on the field with glasses.

I'll be buggered if I know what's right and what's not. Regarding missing studs, you wouldn't want anyone to drive a car with a wheel missing, so why let them play football with a stud missing? The boot is designed for use with a full set of studs and therefore should be regarded as unsafe if one is missing. MattyontheWhistle RefChat Addict. TBH, I never knew there was a difference between rugby and football studs. As long as they're not sharp or a danger to others, I'd let it go.

As far as a missing stud is concerned, again, unless the empty socket has sharp edges I wouldn't have thought it would be dangerous. Never have I ever done and never will I ever walk along the players checking their boots. Grayson RefChat Addict. That's what Junior NARs are for, right? I always check boots so make sure it's done because otherwise if assessor watching on another field they go ew this referee forgot to check studs naughty naughty.

Frankly, the main reason for doing a boot check at lower level is to clear your name in case anything happens - you've done your bit so you can't be blamed. As far as I know rugby studs are not allowed, and apart from that, unless someone has razor blades on their feet I won't say they can't play.

You must log in or register to reply here. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Accept Learn more…. Blades are allowed in rugby provided they meet the minimum size requirements.

However, It is not uncommon for rugby clubs to have a blanket ban on boots with blades. This is because although boots are checked for safety before games they are not checked for safety before training, therefore with a bladed boots tendency to develop sharp edges, it is just a safer policy to ban bladed boots.

Imagine collecting your son or daughter from rugby training only to find them with avoidable cuts or scratch marks on their body. Or, imagine if you accidentally hurt someone with frayed blades slashing them down their legs whilst clearing out a ruck.

It is just an unnecessary risk that a club can easily mitigate against by banning bladed boots. If you are going to buy blades then the wisest move to do is to purchase them from a rugby brand, such as Gilbert, Canterbury, or the Adidas line of rugby boots.

They will be fit for purpose and in line with requirements. Even if you have bought blades from a reputable rugby manufacturer you need to avoid wearing your boots on hard ground, or concrete. This can lead to rapid deterioration and sharpening of boots edges. Rugby players generally wear rugby or football boots.

Backs in particular may wear football boots due to their lighter weight and more contoured fit which aids in speed and agility. Forwards are more likely to be found wearing boots made specifically for rugby with 6 studs at the front and 2 studs at the rear. Famously, Jonny Wilkinson and Steven Gerrard wore the Adidas Predator Pulse Special proving the crossover of football to rugby boots for backs at least.

So adidas seem to be a top favourite of professional rugby players in the backs at least.