League developing "unifrom" gamesmanship.

[Wahoos1]

A league I occasionally ref for has a team or two developing a stratagy of forcing the other teams to change kits all the time. They have identified their home colors as black and their away colors as white. So everytime this club shows up on the road, they have been forceing the other team to change uniforms. I know that this is a High School rule, but could not find anything in FIFA Laws or Q and A.

I did find this from "Ask the Ref"


"Two teams showup with nearly identifcal uniform colors. what should occur?

USSF answer (June 5, 2006):
It is safest to check the league rules to see what they specify. If that is
either impossible or the rules do not cover the matter, then remember that
it is traditional for the visiting team to change if there is a conflict in
colors. "

Anyone have any citations?

[chrisrun]

This really is a "Rules of Competition" issue. Different leagues handle it differently. There is nothing in the Laws that say what color a team can or can not wear.

[Ref Flunkie]

Most rules of competition I have seen say the home team changes.

[Wahoo]

Most times I've seen that the home team would change.

So if a team wears white as their "away" jersey --- doesn't the home team automatically know this and wear anything other than white?
I'm still trying to figure out why this is really a problem in the league... are most teams wearing white as a home jersey?

And if this is becoming known, won't teams just avoid the issue by realizing, hey we play "so and so" this week... bring the colored jersey?

[njref]

Many leagues specify that visitors wears color as set forth in their website and the home team wears either white or a different color, or some other fixed arrangement just so that this gamesmanship does not occur.

[billf]

I think the reason the tradition here in the US is for the home team to change is because its more practical. Most men's and youth leagues I work state that the home team changes and I feel its because the home team should have quicker access to an alternate strip if a member or two of that team forgot their other shirt. I can imagine a situation where a team travels 150 miles to play a region 1 game, had to change, and found that one player forgot to pack his or her dark or light shirt, or didn't pack their pinnies the game or that player's participation is in jeopardy.

[USSF REF]

The problem I have with this thread is that I think the underlying question is:

"What does the Referee do when he knows that there is gamesmenship going on where it comes to the color of the kit being worn by a particular team?"

This is not something Referee's should concern themselves with, nor is it something that should be reported. Face facts, all teams should bring all kits to all games, if they did that, then there is no problem. Let's not find another avenue to get Referee's involved in.

If a team or teams think another squad in the league is abusing some clause or something, they can file a complaint with the league - but as Referee's this is none of our concern. It's only our problem if both teams don't have uniforms of a different color, and then if we can't find a way to distinguish the teams - then there will be no game, but that isn't the Referee's fault.

[Wahoos1]

The problem I have with this thread is that I think the underlying question is:

"What does the Referee do when he knows that there is gamesmenship going on where it comes to the color of the kit being worn by a particular team?"

This is not something Referee's should concern themselves with, nor is it something that should be reported. Face facts, all teams should bring all kits to all games, if they did that, then there is no problem. Let's not find another avenue to get Referee's involved in.

If a team or teams think another squad in the league is abusing some clause or something, they can file a complaint with the league - but as Referee's this is none of our concern. It's only our problem if both teams don't have uniforms of a different color, and then if we can't find a way to distinguish the teams - then there will be no game, but that isn't the Referee's fault.

Agreed, but I think it is always handy to have the knowledge of a reference point in the laws or written opinion in a Q and A to stand on. It is much easier to deflect the issue if you can cite that Federation says this while FiFA says this while NCAA says this. Like my instructor said, "no matter how good you are on the field if you do not know the rules you are done for...."

[whitehound]

The problem I have with this thread is that I think the underlying question is:

"What does the Referee do when he knows that there is gamesmenship going on where it comes to the color of the kit being worn by a particular team?"

This is not something Referee's should concern themselves with, nor is it something that should be reported. Face facts, all teams should bring all kits to all games, if they did that, then there is no problem. Let's not find another avenue to get Referee's involved in.

If a team or teams think another squad in the league is abusing some clause or something, they can file a complaint with the league - but as Referee's this is none of our concern. It's only our problem if both teams don't have uniforms of a different color, and then if we can't find a way to distinguish the teams - then there will be no game, but that isn't the Referee's fault.
Is this discussion actually happening? I thought the original post was a joke?!
Team A brings white and black jerseys to a game in a diabolical attempt to gain an unfair advantage by forcing thier oppanants to..................change shirts!!!. :eek: Before now I had too much fair in mankind to believe that such a dastardly thing could be percieved and so cleverly implimented by good people. WHAT HAS THE WORLD COME TO?

[propes]

I've seen variants of this before - thankfully not in my game, but I know of a game adjacent to mine where, on a very hot day, the visiting team only brought their home whites and said they didn't bring their alternate color. The home team didn't want to change because of the heat and claimed it was gamesmanship. A 40-minute delay ensued while tournament administrators argued it out with everyone involved. I don't remember how it was resolved.

[macheath]

I've seen variants of this before - thankfully not in my game, but I know of a game adjacent to mine where, on a very hot day, the visiting team only brought their home whites and said they didn't bring their alternate color. The home team didn't want to change because of the heat and claimed it was gamesmanship. A 40-minute delay ensued while tournament administrators argued it out with everyone involved. I don't remember how it was resolved.


Well, at least it went to the right place--the competion rules. As others have said, this isn't a ref's issue. It is pretty pathetic gamesmanship, though. The only thing I'd take from it as a ref is to be very alert for gamemanship, rule bending, and seeking every teeny little advantage from the team or teams in question as the game progresses. Its a little alert that you probably are going to have a very nit-picky and unpleasant day, as a team that would think up a shirt strategy like this is unlikely to be all sweetness and light on other issues.

[njref]

Is this discussion actually happening? I thought the original post was a joke?!
Team A brings white and black jerseys to a game in a diabolical attempt to gain an unfair advantage by forcing thier oppanants to..................change shirts!!!. :eek: Before now I had too much fair in mankind to believe that such a dastardly thing could be percieved and so cleverly implimented by good people. WHAT HAS THE WORLD COME TO?

For a guys' team this is not as big a deal as it is for a [modest] girls' team at a field without changing facilities.

[refmike]

For a guys' team this is not as big a deal as it is for a [modest] girls' team at a field without changing facilities.
Don't underestimate the girls. When my daughter was playing, her entire team had to change when it was raining on their thin white shirts. They each pulled a darker shirt over the wet one, danced like Hudini, and pulled out the wet shirt. All this wihout one inch of unnecessary skin showing.

[IASocFan]

For a guys' team this is not as big a deal as it is for a [modest] girls' team at a field without changing facilities.

I've also seen numerous girls team change jerseys wearing just a sports bra underneath. In fact, I've seen a 3v3 girls team (u16 or u19) wear same color sports bras for tops on a hot summer day. No one seemed particularly shy, and we didn't have more than the usual number of young male spectators. :cool:

[Wahoo]

I've also seen numerous girls team change jerseys wearing just a sports bra underneath. In fact, I've seen a 3v3 girls team (u16 or u19) wear same color sports bras for tops on a hot summer day. No one seemed particularly shy, and we didn't have more than the usual number of young male spectators. :cool:

Sports bras are not sexy and have become fairly commonplace as athletic apparel with or without a shirt.
You see it in tennis quite often.
I would hope this wouldn't be a problem on a hot summer day.

[BC_Ref]

Well, at least it went to the right place--the competion rules. As others have said, this isn't a ref's issue. It is pretty pathetic gamesmanship, though. The only thing I'd take from it as a ref is to be very alert for gamemanship, rule bending, and seeking every teeny little advantage from the team or teams in question as the game progresses. Its a little alert that you probably are going to have a very nit-picky and unpleasant day, as a team that would think up a shirt strategy like this is unlikely to be all sweetness and light on other issues.

Had this happen once - very unpleasant girls game. Both team had a large compliment of "ass*****". Both teams pulled the "sub every possible second" if to their advantage (and locally, you can sub at any stoppage and an unlimited number of times. Annoying since it can allow gamesmanship), plus just about every other trick in the book. I was so mentally tired by the end of the game it wasn't funny

[whitehound]

Sports bras are not sexy and have become fairly commonplace as athletic apparel with or without a shirt.
You see it in tennis quite often.
I would hope this wouldn't be a problem on a hot summer day.
Sexy is in the eyes of the beholder amigo!

[Wahoo]

Sexy is in the eyes of the beholder amigo!

I assume you're just having fun... but isn't it a little sad to be ogling girls during a soccer game?

If you're the same age as them maybe, but then it wouldn't really matter what they are wearing as teenage boys will get excited over just about anything.

[Chubbywubby]

If you're the same age as them maybe, but then it wouldn't really matter what they are wearing as teenage boys will get excited over just about anything.
My favorite Xander line from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "I'm seventeen. Looking at linoleum makes me wanna have sex."

[macheath]

Had this happen once - very unpleasant girls game. Both team had a large compliment of "ass*****". Both teams pulled the "sub every possible second" if to their advantage (and locally, you can sub at any stoppage and an unlimited number of times. Annoying since it can allow gamesmanship), plus just about every other trick in the book. I was so mentally tired by the end of the game it wasn't funny

it's a separate issue, but allowing teams to have both unlimited subs AND to sub at any stoppage is a recipe for disaster. Refs there should try to get the competition rules changed, to the more usual practice (as in DC) of limiting to, e.g., your throw-in, either goal kick, or restarts after a goal. Flow isn't too bad with only those allowed.