From SYRA Florian Cortese:
To All coaches:
The purpose of this document is to provide some general guidelines and advice for referees with regards to issues that may develop pertaining to the equipment used by players during the MYSA competitive season. It is not meant to be a substitute or a replacement to any existing rules in the administrative manual. Equipment pertaining to the 5 S’s- shirts, shorts, stockings, shin guards and shoes:
The two important areas of concern here are shin guards and shoes. The shin guards must be age appropriate size. What we are looking for is a shin guard that will cover at least 2/3’s of the shin from the ankle bone to the bottom of the knee cap. Obviously, that size will differ depending on whether the player is 5’2” or 6”4’’. Look for the shin guard to protect at least 2/3’s of the shin area. Be aware of the older players wanting to raise the shin guard a good distance above the ankle bone often by using adhesive tap BELOW the shin guard so that it doesn’t slip down to protect the area it was designed to protect! A good rule of “thumb” is that the bottom of the shin guard should about two finger breaths above the ankle bone (the protruding part of the ankle). If the shoes have metal cleats you will need to check for loose cleats (in the case of screw-in studs) and for sharp edges whether screw-in or pre-formed. A word of advice and caution, don’t slide your palm over the studs when checking them, it may result in a gash to your palm! Place the flat of your palm straight onto the studs; you should be able to easily feel any sharp edges.
“Hair control” devises. Soft material control devices, such as sweatbands, scrunchies, and some of the newer prewrap material used when taping ankles, are all acceptable. Bobby pins, metal or plastic hair clips can be potentially dangerous and should not be allowed. Bandanas are considered adornment and may also carry gang affiliation connotations and are not allowed. However, if the bandana is rolled into the shape similar to a sweatband, then this might be considered acceptable. Use your own judgment on this issue based on local/club history or your own town’s experiences. If you feel it represents a potential game control issue, then deal with it before the match starts. The referee has the final say with regards to acceptable equipment.
Medical devises and jewelry. The most common of the medical devises are casts, splints and braces. An ankle air cast or brace worn UNDER the stocking is OK and does not need further padding. Casts, splints and braces need to be adequately padded. In the case of braces, particularly, knee and elbow, they may come with a manufacture’s sleeve. If not, then they must be padded. A player can play with a properly padded cast, for example. However, if that player uses the cast as a weapon to ward of players, swinging the cast in a dangerous manner, then that player should be removed from the game. Just because you OK the equipment before the game, it does not give that player the liberty to gain an advantage by misusing it.
Medical alert medals and religious medals are acceptable as long as they are taped to the chest or wrist. Be aware of very large crosses or religious medals. They must be secured so that they don’t go swinging about should they slip out of the uniform shirt.
All jewelry, especially those for pierced ears or other body parts are not acceptable. You will more than likely hear the excuse that the player “just” got the ear (or whatever body part is involved) pierced and that if they take out the jewelry the hole will close. I am not aware of any of these piercings closing in a match that, with halftime, will last probably no more 2 hours. They can take out the earring or whatever piece of jewelry is involved and place some simple sewing thread or string through the hole and it will stay open. I am not suggesting that referees add thread to their equipment requirements! Some referees in the past have allowed players to place adhesive tape over their pierced ear lobe. This does NOT protect the player from injury. A ball or other player striking or rubbing against the ear can still cause the ear lobe to be damaged by the earring being in place. Just simply get the player to remove the jewelry. Also the player’s plea that “the referee in my last match let me…” doesn’t hold water. You are the referee of the upcoming match and what transpired in a previous match has no bearing on yours.
One final comment: if there is a pierced body part in an area that you can not see, say under the players uniform or in their tongue, you will have to assume that it does not exist UNLESS the player lifts the shirt enough for you to see a belly button ring, for example, or speaks to you and you see the tongue stud. That player must then remove the item. Tongue studs can be especially dangerous should they come loose during a match and the player aspirate the stud into their lungs or begin to choke on it. You, as referees, do not need to conduct torso or mouth inspections in your pre-game. You do need to remind the players that ALL jewelry must be removed prior to the match and send the player off at the next stoppage of play if you notice an item of jewelry during the run of play and that player does not correct the problem before the next stoppage of play when told to do so.
Finally, I would like to review medical devises such as insulin pumps, hearing aids worn in or behind ears, artificial limbs. FIFA/USSF does not give specific mention to any of these devises and leaves the judgment regarding the safety of any piece of equipment being worn or used by the player up to the match referee. MYSA is in the process of upgrading its administrative manual on this matter. For this upcoming season my advice to you as referees, if confronted with a player with such a devise, is to evaluate the devise in your pre-game inspection and make a determination keeping in mind the issue of safety to that player with the equipment and the other players on the pitch during the match. At the present time these devises should be treated similar to an orthopedic cast. The player shall not be eligible to participate in any game without specific permission by the referee prior to the match. If, for example, an insulin pump is properly secured the body and not in an area that could cause a problem if brushed or bumped against another player, then it is probably OK. Artificial limbs are really no different from braces or casts. Hinged areas must be padded, as should any hard surface.
Law 18-Common Sense
Our responsibilities as referees are to insure that the matches we participate in are played fairly and safely. The use of common sense, “Law 18”, is important in any decision we make for the good of the game. Use common sense when faced with these questions of equipment. Err on the side of safety. The final judgment regarding the use of a piece of equipment is that of the referee.
What I have attempted to do in this document is give the working referee some guidelines regarding these issues. It should also serve as useful information for coaches and club presidents. Hopefully, this will also give us some consistency on our decisions across the state. In an ideal world, all of our calls and decisions would be consistent and correct but we all know that we do not live in an ideal world. So do the best job you can. Use your best judgment, keeping in mind Law 18. In the end, the games can not be played without the referee team so give it your best shot. Both you, as referees, and the players and fans deserve no less.