Question Number: 31735

Law 4 - The Players Equipment 8/26/2017

RE: 3 days Under 11

lucia of portland, oregon usa asks...

do you have to put up your hair at a soccer game if your hair is up to your ear

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Lucia
No that is not required. Long hair is of no concern to the referee. It may be distracting to a player hence many players chose to tie it up. A matter of personal preference

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Lucia,
The Laws of the Game do not require this. As ref McHugh mentions, it can be that players with long hair that gets in their eyes can become distracted during play as they have to keep stopping to brush the hair out of their eyes, sometimes affecting their ability to play the ball, so I as a coach I used to recommend to my players that they tie their hair up properly while playing to avoid this.

However it is nothing to do with the referee or the Laws.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Luchia,
The idea of long hair is only an issue if items are attached as in beads or knotted into ponytails that are whipped into the face of opponents then yes it could be an issue . I had a lovely young lady attempt to play with long hair beaded and tale tied with ribbons so I refused to permit her to play unless she wore a toque as her head movement created a beaded weapon of sorts.
Unusual but then there are always exceptions.
Cheers