2012 Rule changes

[CoachMikeLHS]

Anyone else bothered by the rules meeting info this year? I mean come on....are the home jersey's really have to be ALL WHITE? Give me a break. I know of no other sport that has that kind of weight on them. We just got new uni's and planned on keeping them a few years at least. Now this.....I think someone needs to figure out how to get this worked out to our favor. I understand that they don't want some kid wearing his favorite replica jersey in a game, but to force this on us? NFHS needs to leave us alone. They have already taken the laws of the game and amended them to no end.

I bet it won't happen to any other sports. Why do they hate us so much? Because we are the worlds most popular sport?

[BigG]

I know a Knoxville team got brand new grey uniforms last year... they cannot wear them. So, a waste of hundreds of dollars (you can't wear them as away jerseys since they are too similar to white).

 

Coach, did they justify the reason for the rule?

[CoachMikeLHS]

Not in the least bit!

And I quote

"4-1-1b: Beginning with the 2012 fall season, the home team shall wear solid white jerseys and solid white socks, and the visiting team shall wear dark jerseys and socks. Prior to and during the game, jerseys shall be tucked into the shorts, unless manufactured to be worn outside.

 

4-1-1i1: Beginning with the 2012 fall season, all jerseys, shall be numbered on the back with a different Arabic number at least 6 inches in height and on the front (jersey or shorts) with the same number which shall be at least 4 inches in height. Numbers shall be of contrasting color to the jersey (or shorts) and clearly visible.

 

4-1-1i2: Only those names, patches, emblems, logos or insignias referencing the school are permitted on the team uniform, except as in 4-1-1 (d), (f) and (g). The player's name may also appear on the team uniform."

 

Now I know this seems like nothing in text, but if you completed the online rules meeting, and saw the pictures, it is C-R-A-Z-Y! They really mean SOLID. I wonder if you can even have a 3 stripe sock? Let alone those really cool Puma or Nike ones? It does say SOLID...

I guess I shouldn't be dropping name brands. But while I am at it, Dick's, Hibbitts, and Sports Authority will clean up! I may just send my kids to Dicks and tell them to buy the $9 Umbro short, and a one white Hanes Beefyt shirt, and one red one. We will use my extra large Sharpieand put our logo and numbers on them. Front, and back. Booster club will love that, and then we may be able to afford that bus we have been longing for...........

[socref1]

Not in the least bit!

And I quote

"4-1-1b: Beginning with the 2012 fall season, the home team shall wear solid white jerseys and solid white socks, and the visiting team shall wear dark jerseys and socks. Prior to and during the game, jerseys shall be tucked into the shorts, unless manufactured to be worn outside.

 

4-1-1i1: Beginning with the 2012 fall season, all jerseys, shall be numbered on the back with a different Arabic number at least 6 inches in height and on the front (jersey or shorts) with the same number which shall be at least 4 inches in height. Numbers shall be of contrasting color to the jersey (or shorts) and clearly visible.

 

4-1-1i2: Only those names, patches, emblems, logos or insignias referencing the school are permitted on the team uniform, except as in 4-1-1 (d), (f) and (g). The player's name may also appear on the team uniform."

 

Now I know this seems like nothing in text, but if you completed the online rules meeting, and saw the pictures, it is C-R-A-Z-Y! They really mean SOLID. I wonder if you can even have a 3 stripe sock? Let alone those really cool Puma or Nike ones? It does say SOLID...

I guess I shouldn't be dropping name brands. But while I am at it, Dick's, Hibbitts, and Sports Authority will clean up! I may just send my kids to Dicks and tell them to buy the $9 Umbro short, and a one white Hanes Beefyt shirt, and one red one. We will use my extra large Sharpieand put our logo and numbers on them. Front, and back. Booster club will love that, and then we may be able to afford that bus we have been longing for...........

 

Here is NF's interpretation or guidance on some of these issues:

 

http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=4103

 

SITUATION 6: Player A enters the game wearing a) two different colored socks; b multi-striped or “bumble bee†socks; c) tie-dyed socks; d) predominantly blue socks. RULING: Legal in (d). Illegal in a), b and c). Both socks shall be the same, single dominant color. Beginning with the 2012 fall season, only the visiting team may wear socks a color other than white. (4-1-1 Situation C)

 

SITUATION 7: Prior to the game, the referee recognizes that members of Home Team A are wearing white jerseys and stockings of a gold color and Away Team B is wearing jerseys and stockings of a blue color. RULING: Illegal, effective with the 2012 fall season, because the home team shall wear solid white jerseys and solid white stockings. (4-1-1 Situation H)

 

SITUATION 8: Prior to the game, the referee recognizes that Team A has two goalkeepers; one with a red jersey and the number 15 on the back and front and one with a blue jersey with the number 15 on the back and front. RULING: Illegal, effective with the 2012 fall season, the jerseys must coordinate with the numbers on the roster and the color does not match the color of the field players. (4-1-1 Situation I)

 

SITUATION 9: Team A’s goalkeeper is wearing a replica jersey from the New England Revolution with the number 10 on the back. RULING: Illegal. Any name, patch, emblem or insignia that represents any soccer club, soccer association or sponsor(s) – except for those that represent their school – are prohibited. (4-1-1 Situation J)

 

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It is interesting to note NF uses the word "predominant" in SITUATION 6. This means that a "swirl" across a predominantly white sock would be ok, yet this contradicts SITUATION 7 somewhat. I would guess that many keepers were wearing MLS, or EPL type replica jerseys with commercial logos on them. Glad they at least will allow school insignias else there would be an uprising. Also what about schools that play orange home/black away, or yellow home/purple away? Schools or booster clubs shouldn't be forced into fund raising or budget crisis to ensure strict compliance. Common sense should prevail.

Edited August 14, 2010 by socref1

[Arsie7]

I was just going over this new rule yesterday. This aggravates the heck out of me.

 

I say we get together and protest this somehow. Absolutely ridiculous IMO.

[Canesoverhere]

I was just going over this new rule yesterday. This aggravates the heck out of me.

 

I say we get together and protest this somehow. Absolutely ridiculous IMO.

 

Easy solution.

 

You wear what you bought till it lasts the normal cycle. These are difficult economic times and decisions (likely a poor choice of words as those affected by the decision were not present) like this should take into account that teams purchase new kits every 2-4 years.

 

I guess if you show up and cannot play, then the referees don't get paid.

 

Are the coaches getting together this year to decide what the referees are wearing next year? I have some ideas, please send me an invitation to that meeting.

Edited August 14, 2010 by Canesoverhere

[nizolek]

Anyone else bothered by the rules meeting info this year? I mean come on....are the home jersey's really have to be ALL WHITE? Give me a break. I know of no other sport that has that kind of weight on them. We just got new uni's and planned on keeping them a few years at least. Now this.....I think someone needs to figure out how to get this worked out to our favor. I understand that they don't want some kid wearing his favorite replica jersey in a game, but to force this on us? NFHS needs to leave us alone. They have already taken the laws of the game and amended them to no end.

I bet it won't happen to any other sports. Why do they hate us so much? Because we are the worlds most popular sport?

 

This rule change reminds me of our Congress. These rule makers definitely have too much time on their hands.

[socref1]

Easy solution.

 

You wear what you bought till it lasts the normal cycle. These are difficult economic times and decisions (likely a poor choice of words as those affected by the decision were not present) like this should take into account that teams purchase new kits every 2-4 years.

 

I guess if you show up and cannot play, then the referees don't get paid.

 

Are the coaches getting together this year to decide what the referees are wearing next year? I have some ideas, please send me an invitation to that meeting.

Canes, Canes, Canes...

 

Please don't bait the ref. Coaches have no bearing on what a ref can wear. Trust me, refs will be taken care by their own. Bank on it. We refs also feel the pinch in these challenging economic times but NF has given some flexibility in this regard of late for high school matches. Some that work HS games also ref club, AYSO, college, and adult matches. So they have a lot of uniform choices. Some do not. They can wear what ever they want in HS as long as they match in color, pattern (stripe or college style) and sleeve length with their crew. The socks have to be black with 3 stripes. It wasn't always this way.

 

A couple years ago OSI, the main manufacturer of soccer ref gear stopped carrying the thin striped jerseys as the sole provider for US Soccer and MLS (thicker stripes made for better TV). Now they just carry the thicker stripe jerseys and older refs will not buy them. Now US Soccer and MLS have abandoned those jerseys for Adidas international. So refs will not invest $600 (10 jerseys) every time the powers say jump if their fashion whims change like the wind. There is no value to shell out money every time a change comes, and it is not required. You might say, "refs get paid, they can afford it". Some can, some can not. Just like schools.

 

The one thing you miss, is that their gear comes out of their own pockets.

 

I think the right thing to do here is to just cross the uniform bridge when it comes and let the practicality of it all be the judge. Recall some years ago FIFA came down with an equally banal uniform law because Cameroon went multi-color sleeveless at WC 2002 because Sepp Blatter et al thought it was gauche, and US youth club teams were crying foul? We worked through that as I recall.

 

If a school has a predominantly solid jersey with a stripe running down the side through the short, and sock who cares? If TSSAA wants to send a message to NF, they will instruct refs when the time comes, to make a note of it and send it to them, just like the reporting of the absence of the NF logo on the ball or shaggers.

 

My suggestion is to wait and see how the state association weighs in on clarifications, guidance, and requirements before taking a knee-jerk reaction that could costs thousands of needless dollars.

Edited August 16, 2010 by socref1

[ChattanoogaCannon]

Canes, Canes, Canes...

 

Please don't bait the ref.

 

Cool! Just what this board needs...another socfref vs. canes death match! This should shake out the cobwebs.

[socref1]

Cool! Just what this board needs...another socfref vs. canes death match! This should shake out the cobwebs.

Reaching for my chainsaw...

[BigG]

Again, what I would like to know is the "WHY" behind the rule change. Was there really a problem with this? Enough to enforce a big rule change? I have been coaching for 15 years and never ran into a jersey/uniform issue. Bumble-bee socks, tie dyed socks, lightning jerseys, etc. we figured out who was on our team and who was on the other.

[socref1]

Again, what I would like to know is the "WHY" behind the rule change. Was there really a problem with this? Enough to enforce a big rule change? I have been coaching for 15 years and never ran into a jersey/uniform issue. Bumble-bee socks, tie dyed socks, lightning jerseys, etc. we figured out who was on our team and who was on the other.

 

I did some more digging G. This is what is coming up from NF and other sites:

 

"Comments on the Rules: This rule was changed to require the home team to wear solid white jerseys and socks, to better differentiate between the visiting team, who is required to wear jerseys and socks that are dark. “Light†home jerseys will not be permitted as of 2012. This rule change will be in effect beginning with the fall 2012 season."

 

Before, the rule said "solid white or light". So the real rule change removed the word "Light" as an allowed home color. I suspect many teams were playing light colors as home that confused people, or were indistinguishable. The words "solid white" were always there in the language. Thus I don't believe a plain only-white jersey akin to a t-shirt is all they want. That would be too drab. Also I think that the rule speaks to HS teams that currently wears national team jerseys, like the boys team that wears Argentina. Also, sometimes, keepers will become field players and swap out the keeper jersey.

 

Now plenty of teams wear predominantly white home jerseys with white socks with a dark swirl, stripe or swoosh, and dark away jerseys with dark socks with a white swirl, stripe or swoosh. I see nothing wrong with continuing that since these uniforms were allowed when the language said "solid white or light". So why buy anything different if compliance to "solid white" has been met before this rule change.

 

I would ask for a clarification between between "solid white" and "plain white". I believe "solid white" means "predominantly white" where as "plain white" would mean "only white". Else how would a colored number that is required to be distinguishable on a white jersey make the shirt "solid white"? No one is asking for a white number on a white jersey, as that would be absurd. So if a colored number is ok, then how about a colored stripe, or swoosh, or swirl.