Question Number: 12791

Law 4 - Players Equipment 5/14/2006

RE: U15/1 Under 15

Ami of Sydney, NSW Australia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 12287

Traditionally, a central defender would have to be 3(jersey number) right? Is he/she allowed to have 26 or any other number?

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

The Laws of the Game do not mention rules for player numbers. Your specific league or association may have rules about this though. As Always,

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Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Traditionally there was no central defender! In those days only a left and right fullback were present. Not until the Hungarians introduced total football in the late 40's to mid 50's did it become necessary to have four backs. Besides Law 4 - The Player's Equipment does not require numbers on the jerseys. In American college and high school rules numbers are required.

Regards,

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Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

There's no mandate for numbers or number assignments. When I played, I got to choose my number. Rarely will you find any 3-digit numbers on a jersey, as there's usually not enough room for them to fit. We blind referees have to see the numbers and need them to be big enough to do so.

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