Uniform Rules... Are the really worth it?

            Rules, rules, oh and more rules. They never fail to make everything more complicated than it needs to be and some are necessary, but some of the rules that have come out lately for our state high school soccer association seem almost pointless. Let’s go over a few of them that I would like to explain further, homes uniforms must be entirely white, undergarments, like compression shorts and long sleeve thermals must match uniform color, and the big one: tape must be the same color as your socks.
            My only complaint on the first rule with home uniforms having to be entirely white would about the shorts.  As a player the main thing I look and when I’m looking for a teammate to pass to is a glimpse of a white top. At that moment in time, I only have a few seconds to scan the field to find that flash of white of my teammate to pass to, I don’t sit there and analyze forever about, ‘oh can I see my teammates entire body with her white top, shorts and socks?’ because it’s probably highly unlikely that she’s even that wide open. Also other reason I question that the shorts have to be the same color is the cost perspective. Why not save $20 per person- which adds up quickly when you have to account for an entire team- and just buy one pair of shorts that can go with both your home white tops and away dark tops. I think that would be especially beneficial for small town schools because they don’t have as big of a budget to buy what I see as unnecessary uniform pieces.
          The next rule that I find challenging to follow is that the undergarments must match your uniform, except if you are wearing your away uniform, white or black works as well. My bigger issue with this is more about the compression shorts rather than the thermal long sleeved tops because you only wear them maybe 1 or 2 games out of the entire season, so not many issues come up with them. So, for my high school team, we chose to have white as our undergarment color and right now I only have one pair of white compression shorts, the rest I have are either black or grey. I personally just don’t think that the color of your compression shorts really make a difference in the game; yes they may stick out a little under your shorts but it not like they are your shorts. I see compression shorts to be like long underwear, so it seems like the rule is saying you have to match you underwear.

Some rules help refs make more accurate calls.

            Finally comes the rule that all the girls on my team can’t stand: you must match your tape to the color of your game socks. When most girls tape their socks, they wrap below and above their shin guards just to hold them in place. They keep it simple and sweet, nothing too extensive. The reason for the rule is to make it easier to see who kicked the ball out last, and if you have a girl with her socks taped with a color that matches the other team it may get confusing, so I understand the reason for the rule. But where the issue comes, is having to find the color of tape that matches your socks perfectly. Our away socks are a dark hunter green color, but most of the green tape that we can find is either lime green or a lighter Kelly green, so it stands out too much. So I think that it would be easier if the rule said you had to wear dark tape, like black which is more common, on your away socks and then obviously white for your home socks. Some refs end up being very strict about this rule and in the end I feel like it is a hassle for everybody.

           Rules are made for a purpose, some more necessary than other. But, in the end rules are rules and they have to be followed no matter how pointless they may seem to you as a player, because they could have some hidden meaning that is more useful when having to ref a game.   

 

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