36 replies to this topic

[Mysterio]

As many of you may know already the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) will implement a change to Rule 4-1-1b that requires the home team to wear solid white jerseys and socks. This will be effective for the 2013 season. For some that have not heard about this yet, I just wanted to share this with you. My question is does anybody have an idea why this is going to happen? And what are some of your thoughts about this rule change? Is it a big deal or not?

I personally do not like it

[OSH]

It's a stupid rule. I have already written the OHSAA about it...I do understand it's an NFHS thing.

There is no rhyme or reason to do such a thing. One "big" reason (rumor) I heard why this is going to be implemented is for the big time companies like adidas, Nike, etc. It costs nothing to do "all-white" anything, so they can skimp out on those cheap home kits and then people will end up buying the "better" away kits. For smaller companies, they don't do "all-white" anything because no one wanted them. What I heard was more in-depth than this, but this is the gist of it.

It's still stupid. But, more states are implementing the same sort of thing. Some states have even done away with football jerseys having too much color on them.

Talking to a high school coaching friend of mine, he is completely against it because the state/NFHS is forcing him to use a jersey color that is not even a school color. He's always worn yellow/gold at home and now will be forced to wear white. I think it's absurd, especially considering the fact that there are so many non-turf soccer competitions out there...I hate trying to clean up white clothing.

[dkusma96]

It's no big deal. Not many are really affected. OGs gold home kit will go, but they'll look fine with white and blue letters.

[DAWG_ALICIOUS]

dkusma96, on 24 January 2012 - 10:48 PM, said:

It's no big deal. Not many are really affected. OGs gold home kit will go, but they'll look fine with white and blue letters.

Yea, the O-G group can whine and cry and complain about every call or non-call in any colour jersey.

[Mysterio]

I don't see how you can like this. I mean basically every high school soccer team will have somewhat the same kind of jersey. I mean just plain white? Really? You can't even have a 1/8 stripe anywhere. I think its a joke. There will be limited availability of jerseys and some schools might not even be financially capable of doing this. What is the reason for this anyway? Is it for the officials benefits? Will it be easier for them to call the game? I just don't see how you can't tell the difference with just a little color added to the white jersey? It's not like one team is wearing blue and the other black. I just think it's absurd that it has come down to this.

[Goin2goal]

DAWG_ALICIOUS, on 24 January 2012 - 11:25 PM, said:

Yea, the O-G group can whine and cry and complain about every call or non-call in any colour jersey.

Wow Dawg, pretty harsh words. Which based on your Dawg moniker, I can guess you are an Elida/Defiance/Celina supporter. In any case it's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black as they say....


As for the color, the all gold could become their NEW away uniform. However the OSSCA recently ran a survey where 325 Ohio coaches repsonded with 85% being opposed to this all white thing. These results are being taken to the NFHS. So there is still hope.

[charliesheen]

DAWG_ALICIOUS, on 24 January 2012 - 11:25 PM, said:

Yea, the O-G group can whine and cry and complain about every call or non-call in any colour jersey.

Wow, soccer jealousy rearing it's ugly head....and it's only January......lol.

[OSH]

I don't understand how anyone can actually think this is a "good" or even a "decent" idea?

There is no reason for it. The NFHS and OHSAA just need to worry about making sure the integrity of the game is being upheld. There doesn't need to be this constant infringement and constant parenting over every little thing in every sport.

[Goin2goal]

I contacted NFHS to complain about this rule and I will paste their response below:



Thanks for contacting the National Federation of State High School Associations.

The NFHS Soccer Rules Committee met in January 2010 to discuss all rule change proposals. The Soccer Rules Committee is made up of 11 representatives that represent all 19,000 schools in which the NFHS serves. Input is given to committee members from the state associations, coaches and officials. They also look at a survey that is sent to all state associations, selected coaches and officials. Regarding this uniform change rule, a majority of those who took the survey agreed with the change.

The rationale for this rule change was to make the game easier to call from the officials end. The previous rule allowed for light vs. white. Schools were starting to purchase 1 color/uniform for their home and away uniforms (such as yellow, light blue, green, red). More and more situations were occurring where the home and away teams were showing up to the game with the same or similar color.

Note that this rule is written for varsity competition only. Meaning that Jr. Varsity and below may wear the present “legal” uniforms. Also, this rule only includes the home team jersey top and socks, not the shorts.

If interested in writing a rules change proposal for the 2013-14 NFHS Soccer Rules Book, please do so on the attached form.

Also, we have attached a PowerPoint that may explain the rule in more detail for you.

Please contact with additional questions.

Mark Koski, CMAA
Director of Sports and Events
Soccer Rules Editor and National Interpreter
National Federation of State High School Associations
P.O. Box 690 / Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-0690
Direct: 317.822.5716
Fax: 317.822.5700

[OSH]

That's a lousy response.

[caldwell]

The only new rules that need implemented should address the lack of scoring. BORING

[charliesheen]

Hmmm....a lot of people who watch soccer games seem to have the feeling that the referees may be blind.......the fact that they made a rule because some officials can't seem to distinguish between two different jerseys seems to confirm it.....

[Mysterio]

caldwell, on 26 January 2012 - 12:54 PM, said:

The only new rules that need implemented should address the lack of scoring. BORING

Hey hey hey. No room for that here. Stick with the topic and complain about the sport somewhere else where people might care.

charliesheen, on 26 January 2012 - 02:23 PM, said:

Hmmm....a lot of people who watch soccer games seem to have the feeling that the referees may be blind.......the fact that they made a rule because some officials can't seem to distinguish between two different jerseys seems to confirm it.....

Which is very true. But after reading that response I'm even more frustrated with the rule change. The JV team uniforms don't have to be like this? Seriously this whole thing is a joke. If you cant tell the difference between a yellow vs blue jersey or white (with colored stripes) vs a black jersey, that is a you problem. I see no sense of doing all this. I don't care if a home team wants to wear black jerseys, as long as the visiting teams uniforms are a lighter color like red or yellow i have no problem with that.

[charliesheen]

I would think the JV issue is so tha schools don't have to run out and buy a new set for both teams. Most schools pass their uniforms down from Varsity to JV so in 3 years, the JV likely will have a white set also. After reading the response, at least they aren't requiring a complete white set...meaning shirt and shorts. Schools may be able to get away with wearing a white jersey with a colored short that they already have. Still don't see the need. I've never seen a game where the jerseys were so close to the same that anyone would have trouble differentiating between the teams.

[dkusma96]

I don't know why anyone is complaining about rules concerning the color of the kit. You must wear shoes. You must wear shin guards. Goalkeeper uniforms different color from field players. Now the home kit must be white. So what? It's not like this was thrown on schools with no time to prepare.

[OSH]

Having to wear certain pieces of equipment is part of it.

Having to wear what someone else dictates -- brand and/or color -- is overstepping boundaries. There's NO need to regulate the color of uniforms. Like I mentioned earlier, white isn't even a color of some schools -- it isn't at my alma mater. Why should I jeopardize school pride? How does the OHSAA/NFHS have the right to infringe on my team's ability to be supporting a school?

It's stupid. It makes no sense. Even the NCAA/NAIA, as well as professional leagues don't even mandate what color teams wear at home.

[dkusma96]

OSH, on 31 January 2012 - 07:57 PM, said:

Having to wear certain pieces of equipment is part of it.

Having to wear what someone else dictates -- brand and/or color -- is overstepping boundaries. There's NO need to regulate the color of uniforms. Like I mentioned earlier, white isn't even a color of some schools -- it isn't at my alma mater. Why should I jeopardize school pride? How does the OHSAA/NFHS have the right to infringe on my team's ability to be supporting a school?

It's stupid. It makes no sense. Even the NCAA/NAIA, as well as professional leagues don't even mandate what color teams wear at home.

No, it's not overstepping any boundary to say that home teams must wear white. I seriously doubt that school pride will be compromised due to wearing a white kit at home games. The "right to infringe" ? This is high school athletics, not Constitutional law. I assume your alma matter is a member of OHSAA and as such must abide by it's rules.

Here's some of OHSAA's team sports...guess what they have in common....one team wears white.

Football - The visiting team in football games shall wear white jerseys, and the home team shall wear jerseys of a contracting color (dark).
Basketball - home team wears white since 07-08.
Field Hockey - The home team shall wear single solid white uniform tops front and back on the torso, and the visiting team shall wear single solid black or dark-colored uniform tops front and back on the torso.

[OSH]

Still stupid. There's NO rhyme or reason to do it. I could care less what other sports do it either. Soccer is not [American] fooball, basketball, or field hockey. Putting all these other sports on par with soccer is the exact reason why the NCAA has Wilson-brand soccer match balls -- LAME! Sports can be separated and ran completely different. They are different sports and they are not going to be able to be monitored the same.

They should spend their time screwing with other rules that actually matter. These little things don't matter. Make the sport better. Make the seasons better. It's for the kids.

There's so much griping about high schools and how the sports are operated, I don't blame clubs and DAs stepping in and demanding players make a decision. If I were a player nowadays, I may have little problems turning down my high school program. Especially with how the OHSAA/NFHS is doing things.

Players can develop so much more in clubs and DAs than they can in high school seasons.

[Goin2goal]

dkusma96, on 02 February 2012 - 05:58 PM, said:

No, it's not overstepping any boundary to say that home teams must wear white. I seriously doubt that school pride will be compromised due to wearing a white kit at home games. The "right to infringe" ? This is high school athletics, not Constitutional law. I assume your alma matter is a member of OHSAA and as such must abide by it's rules.

Here's some of OHSAA's team sports...guess what they have in common....one team wears white.

Football - The visiting team in football games shall wear white jerseys, and the home team shall wear jerseys of a contracting color (dark).
Basketball - home team wears white since 07-08.
Field Hockey - The home team shall wear single solid white uniform tops front and back on the torso, and the visiting team shall wear single solid black or dark-colored uniform tops front and back on the torso.

The color of the jersey ha little to no affect on the game. The reasons stated above by the National Federation are weak. In a response to him he stated it would help the officials. I think the only think color wise the officials are looking at are socks. They did away with bumblebee socks years ago. Natioanl Federation has every right to make rule changes, but I agree with OSH, this one is very trivial where there is no benefit to the game to make it. Let's make rules that help make the game better, not one's that give uniform manufacturers more money....





The NFHS Soccer Rules Committee met in January 2010 to discuss all rule change proposals. The Soccer Rules Committee is made up of 11 representatives that represent all 19,000 schools in which the NFHS serves. Input is given to committee members from the state associations, coaches and officials. They also look at a survey that is sent to all state associations, selected coaches and officials. Regarding this uniform change rule, a majority of those who took the survey agreed with the change.

The rationale for this rule change was to make the game easier to call from the officials end. The previous rule allowed for light vs. white. Schools were starting to purchase 1 color/uniform for their home and away uniforms (such as yellow, light blue, green, red). More and more situations were occurring where the home and away teams were showing up to the game with the same or similar color.

Note that this rule is written for varsity competition only. Meaning that Jr. Varsity and below may wear the present “legal” uniforms. Also, this rule only includes the home team jersey top and socks, not the shorts.

If interested in writing a rules change proposal for the 2013-14 NFHS Soccer Rules Book, please do so on the attached form.

Also, we have attached a PowerPoint that may explain the rule in more detail for you.

Please contact with additional questions.

Mark Koski, CMAA
Director of Sports and Events
Soccer Rules Editor and National Interpreter
National Federation of State High School Associations
P.O. Box 690 / Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-0690
Direct: 317.822.5716
Fax: 317.822.5700

[charliesheen]

The response says "the previous rule allowed for light vs white". Ok, there's the problem....common sense fixes that very easy.

Why couldn't they just make a rule that says "home team wears light.....visiting team wears dark"...and here's your list.

Light colors are.....white, yellow/gold or silver.....that would cover just about every school....if you can't work with one of those, change your school colors.....lol

Light blue doesn't count because some idiot would say "royal is lighter than navy" so we should be able to wear it.....no, you have 4 choices....that's all.

Dark) Everything else.

Light at home....dark away.

.....or would that have been too simple?

Edited by charliesheen, 03 February 2012 - 03:05 PM.