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Old Sun Sep 25, 2005, 03:04am
Nevadaref Nevadaref is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 14,994
Not so fast, Quebec! We are in the US!
Camron, You know me from the basketball forum, and that I work some high level soccer too. So, I know that you are not just a griping parent, but really want to know what is the real rule which your young girls' team must follow.

So here is what it says in the United States Soccer Federation's Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game, which is essentially the case book for US soccer. (The Laws of the Game by FIFA would be the rules book.) Since Quebec is north of the border, he may not know about this US manual. You can find it on the ussoccer website, where you used to be able to download a copy for free, but sadly this has just recently changed and now you must purchase it: http://www.ussoccer.com/referees/con...tompageid=6691

Anyway, here is the relevant portion:

"Law 4 — Players' Equipment
4.1 WEARING UNIFORMS
It is implicit in the Law that each side wear a distinctively colored jersey, that shorts and socks be uniform for each team, and that the uniforms be distinguishable from the uniforms worn by the other team. The referee shall ensure that each player wears his uniform and equipment properly. Players' jerseys must remain tucked inside their shorts, socks must remain pulled up, and each player must wear shinguards under the socks. Slide pants or similar undergarments must be the same main color as the shorts."

Ok, so what exactly is "under the socks?" What is between the sock? Well, in all seriousness, I'd have to say that there is certainly solid evidence that this youth referee and his mother were correct.

Now, at the little kids level, the shinguards are small enough and the socks are long enough such that the socks can be pulled back down over them completely in the overlapping fashion which you described. This just isn't seen at the older ages because the shinguards become too big for the socks to cover them fully this way or the play is physical enough that they would consistently be falling out the bottom.
But all that said, at the U12 level and below (particularly girls), I would likely let the kids wear them in the doubled-over manner. However, the rules really do seem to forbid it.
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