Region 26 has made the following specific rulings on player equipment
allowed
under Law 4. Items listed here as prohibited may not be worn.
Any
exception, for medical, religious or other extraordinary reasons,
requires a
written waiver, signed by the Regional Commissioner, which
must be
shown to the referee on the field. Referees may also refuse to permit
other
items not listed here if, in their opinion, those items are dangerous.
Head
NO hair barrettes or hard fasteners (straps, combs,
etc.).
NO "pony tail holders" (elastic bands with
round plastic balls).
Plain elastic fasteners, rubber bands, Scrunchies (cloth-covered
elastic) are OK as long as they do not contain hard objects.
Headband OK (cloth only), but no message permitted.
Long hair should be tied back or up.
Glasses - prescription only, retaining straps strongly
encouraged but not mandatory. Safety or sport glass are strongly
encouraged; metal rims are discouraged.
NO sunglasses, even if prescription (photo chromic or
variable tint lenses are allowed if the player only has that one type
of glasses).
NO external head or neck gear (goalkeeper may wear a
soft-brimmed
hat; referee judges acceptability).
NO dental retainers with protruding wires (must be removed
before match begins). Molded retainers without wires are OK.
Orthodontic braces are OK. A mouthpiece is
encouraged (but you'll rarely see it).
Jersey
Team jersey must be worn.
Another shirt or sweatshirt (long or short sleeve) under jersey
is OK.
Cannot be the same color as other team jersey.
Referee judges if color is acceptable.
There must be 5 different jersey colors, and only 5 colors, on
the field:
Team A goalkeeper, everyone else on Team A,
Team B goalkeeper, everyone else on Team B,
and Referee (generally yellow, black, red, or blue).
NO message T-shirts or sweatshirts.
Shorts
Non-regulation shorts are OK, but only
if color matches team's shorts to referee satisfaction.
"Bike pants" (tight-fitted stretch shorts) may be worn under
regular shorts if they are of the same color as the shorts and end at
least one inch above the knee.
NO long pants except goalkeeper.
NO knee pads except goalkeeper (soft pads
only).
Legs
Team socks must be worn.
Shin guards are required [Law IV(2)] and must be
completely covered
by socks. (This means players should first put on their shin
guards and then put on their
team socks. Players should not
put on their team socks first, then their shin guards, then pull their
socks down over their shin guards. Watch for this primarily in
the younger age
groups. To prevent chaffing by shin guards, you might want to
suggest that players wear thin socks under their shin guards.)
No anklets or ankle bracelets.
Knee braces are permitted, provided the brace
is adequately covered and padded so as to eliminate the possibility
of its causing injury to other players. A player wearing a knee
brace
must provide a statement
from his/her attending physician certifying that the player may
participate, and the coach must have the statement at the field
and produce it upon the referee's request.
Feet
Shoes are required. Cleats
are recommended and must be FIFA-approved, without a single
cleat at the toe (i.e., baseball/football shoes are illegal
unless modified to remove toe cleat). Screw-in cleats are
permitted
if they meet FIFA requirements regarding size, shape, and method
of attachment; a sharp edge or protruding metal core is not
permitted.
Turf shoes and sneakers are OK.
In the younger age groups (Under 10 and below), remind players
to tie shoes and suggest double knots.
Jewelry
NO earrings, at all, PERIOD!
Sob stories about holes closing up when studs are removed should
fall on deaf ears. Earrings must be removed before the
child can play - padding/taping is not an acceptable
substitute.
NO necklaces.
NO hard bracelets (metal, plastic, beads,
leather, anything that could cut or bruise). Medic-Alert bracelets
should be securely covered by tape that allows the
information to be read.
Cloth or string ("friendship") bracelets are OK if
not loose enough to be caught or snagged (referee judgment; if
loose, they can be taped).
NO rings or watches.
NO pins or pin-on buttons.
Other
NO elbow pads.
NO casts or splints, at all,
even if taped or wrapped in foam rubber. This applies even to
plastic and Velcro strap-on casts.
NO gloves (except goalkeeper).
NO dangerously long fingernails (referee judgment; can be
taped).