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Question Number: 17164

Law 4 - Players Equipment 10/7/2007

RE: Competitive Under 15

Russ Robitaille of Manchester, ct USA asks...

I coach a group of U-14 girls and some of the girls prefer to wear the sleeve bands that are marketed which tie the sleeves and neck opening together (more comfort than fashion). Are these sleeve ties an illegal piece of equipment? Must a T-Shirt cover the upper arm? A recent tournament referee indicated that they must be removed. While I see that the players equipment mentions t-shirt/jerseys, it doesn't indicate whether sleeves must be rolled down.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Some referees will allow them, some won't. The referee is fully within his/her authority to allow it or to disallow it, so you'll have to learn to go with the flow, as they say. Law 4 describes what the players are required to wear, and a jersey is one of them. It has to be tucked in, and it can't be all one piece, but that' s about it. After that, it is what the referee will allow. The guys never roll them up or tie them up, but my daughter's team did, and they also had sleeveless jerseys. Most of the jerseys are designed for guys, so they are too big for the girls which is one reason why I think they tie them up to get them out of the way. Personally, I don't much care as long as I can tell one team from the other, and they haven't tied them up with safety pins or something else I would call dangerous - but that's just me. Good luck!



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Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Law 4 says a jersey must have sleeves. It doesn't say how they must be worn. As long as any device used to hold the sleeves is safe, as mentioned by Ref Maloney, I'd allow it. I have bigger things to worry about than fashion.



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