PLAYER EQUIPMENT

Head

• NO hair barrettes or hard fasteners (straps, combs, etc.).
• NO "pony tail holders" with round plastic balls.
• Plain elastic fasteners, rubber bands, Scrunchies (cloth-covered elastic) are OK as long as they do not contain hard objects.
• Headbands (cloth only) are OK but no message is 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 (photochromic 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 will 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's jersey. Referee judges if color is acceptable. If sweatshirt has a hood, the hood must be tucked completely inside team jersey.
• There should 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 gold, black, red, or blue).
• NO message T-shirts or sweatshirts.
• NO goalkeeper jerseys with alcoholic beverage (e.g., beer) or tobacco product logos.
  

Shorts

• Non-regulation shorts are OK, but only if the color matches the team's shorts to referee's satisfaction
• "Bike pants" (compression 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. If they are a different color than the shorts, tell the player s/he must roll them up so they don't show.
  
• NO long pants (unless for valid religious reasons) except goalkeeper
  
• NO knee pads except goalkeeper (soft pads only)

Legs

• Team socks must be worn.
• Shin guards are required and must be completely covered by socks. (This means players must 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 could 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 causing injury to other players. A player wearing a knee brace must provide a written 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 or turf shoes are recommended. Sneakers are OK. Cleats must not have a cleat at the toe (i.e., baseball/football shoes are illegal unless modified by removing the toe cleat). Screw-in cleats are permitted if they are complete and properly installed, and have no sharp edges or protruding metal cores.
• Metal cleats are not allowed on synthetic turf fields.
  
• In the younger age groups (Under-10 and below), remind players to tie their 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 over earrings is not an acceptable substitute. Give the player the choice: remove the earrings or don't play.
  
• NO necklaces
• NO bracelets (metal, plastic, beads, leather, anything that could cut, bruise, or catch a finger). Medical Alert bracelets should be securely covered by tape that allows the information to be read. Cloth or string ("friendship") bracelets and "LIVESTRONG" type bracelets must be removed.
• NO rings or watches
• NO pins or pin-on buttons

Other

• NO elbow pads, thigh pads, or hip pads.
• NO casts or splints, at all, even if taped or wrapped in foam rubber, bubble wrap, etc. This applies even to plastic and Velcro strap-on casts or splints.
• NO gloves (except goalkeeper).
• NO dangerously long fingernails (referee judgment; can be taped over).