The Ref Stop

Goalkeeper colours

G

Graham Carter

New Member
Quick question gents:

A player wishes (and asks permission!) to swap with his goalkeeper at the next stoppage in play.
In law, the goalkeeper must be clearly distinguishable from the rest of the players. Do we therefore have to ask the players to take their shorts/socks off on the field during the stoppage? I know when a keeper is sent off, the outfield player usually just changes jersey.

Surely we shouldn't be asking them both to strip down to their underwear, but if not, the keeper (who is now outfield) will be in completely different coloured shorts/socks to the rest of the team?

Law experts/common sense(ers) (Lincs22, Mr Hamilton etc etc) please assemble! :D
 
The Ref Stop
You have summed it up in the last line
Apply common sense.

If you feel its your duty to ensure old gk now has exact outfield kit on, do it
The other 99 per cent of referees will just get on with the game

Disclaimer, i suppose I might be proactive if this change happened before ht and ask the players to have correct stuff on for the second half
 
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You as the referee define what is meant by 'distinguishable' in terms of changing jersey/shorts etc. Below is also relevant.

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Why are you concerned about the shorts and socks? a different jersey satisfies 'distinguishable'.

Consider what the reasoning behind the relevant law is, and you'll see that even if you somehow got the keeper's legs confused with a teammate's, it makes no difference whatsoever to any scenario.
 
CapnBloodbeard said:
Why are you concerned about the shorts and socks? a different jersey satisfies 'distinguishable'.

Consider what the reasoning behind the relevant law is, and you'll see that even if you somehow got the keeper's legs confused with a teammate's, it makes no difference whatsoever to any scenario.
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Exactly. I almost called a match off a few weeks ago beause both teams had the same colour socks - because being able to tell members of the opposite team's legs apart matters. I can't think of any situation where it matters if it's the GK's legs or an outfield players, whereas switching the shirt is necessary because we do need to be able to see who's arms/hands belong to who.

I do agree with Ciley though, if the change happened at/just before half time, I might try and encourage socks etc to be changed in the changing rooms during the break.
 
GraemeS said:
Exactly. I almost called a match off a few weeks ago beause both teams had the same colour socks - because being able to tell members of the opposite team's legs apart matters.
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I had the the same issue a couple of weeks ago but making the away team use tape on their socks solved the problem. I got that tip from here on a forum at some point in the last few months. Not ideal but better than calling a game off.
 
Tino Best said:
I had the the same issue a couple of weeks ago but making the away team use tape on their socks solved the problem. I got that tip from here on a forum at some point in the last few months. Not ideal but better than calling a game off.
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Both teams were being kind of dickish about standing their ground on this occasion, particularly when it came to the clash of shirt colours so I'm not sure I would have accepted that compromise to be honest. In the end, one of the away team players worked out that there was a sports direct round the corner and zoomed off to buy 10 pairs of plain socks and managed to get back with only a 10 minute delay to KO.
 
GraemeS said:
Exactly. I almost called a match off a few weeks ago beause both teams had the same colour socks - because being able to tell members of the opposite team's legs apart matters. I can't think of any situation where it matters if it's the GK's legs or an outfield players, whereas switching the shirt is necessary because we do need to be able to see who's arms/hands belong to who.

I do agree with Ciley though, if the change happened at/just before half time, I might try and encourage socks etc to be changed in the changing rooms during the break.
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Only one colour? Most of my matches sported four or five.........
 
I might be wrong but back in the old days didn't goalkeepers just where a different colour top but the same sock and shorts as the outfield players?
 
Tino Best said:
I might be wrong but back in the old days didn't goalkeepers just where a different colour top but the same sock and shorts as the outfield players?
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Yes, that was the Law when I started in the 1980's.
 
Ciley Myrus said:
You have summed it up in the last line
Apply common sense.
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@Graham Carter glad you think like that
L--as @Ciley Myrus says use common sense.
What level was the football at? The more senior, the more it should be done properly.
How long left? If the first half and a permanent change, get them to change at half time.
Don't cause an issue, solve the problems.
 
Sheffields Finest said:
A bit of googling later on the mad men of football!! (GK's)
http://www.goalkeepersaredifferent.com/keepers/getting-shirty.html
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"Incidentally, it may be worth noting that although goalkeeper gloves are optional, if a keeper chooses not to wear them then he must by law wear a long-sleeved jersey that goes as far as his wrists so that the referee can distinguish the goalkeeper punching or touching the ball through a crowd of players!"

That's not correct is it?!
 
PinnerPaul said:
"Incidentally, it may be worth noting that although goalkeeper gloves are optional, if a keeper chooses not to wear them then he must by law wear a long-sleeved jersey that goes as far as his wrists so that the referee can distinguish the goalkeeper punching or touching the ball through a crowd of players!"

That's not correct is it?!
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No, it's not.
lincs22 said:
Tino Best said:
I might be wrong but back in the old days didn't goalkeepers just where a different colour top but the same sock and shorts as the outfield players?

Yes, that was the Law when I started in the 1980's.
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I'm not 100% sure but I believe it was not the law as such, though it was the accepted convention as far as I recall. To the best of my recollection, the law then (as now) simply said that goalkeepers should wear colours that distinguish them from the other players and the referee. That's certainly what it said in the 1991 copy that I have.

I could be wrong on that however, as I don't have a copy of the laws from back in the 80's. If anyone has a copy of the laws from around that era and could make a definitive statement on it, I'd be genuinely interested to see if my memory is correct - or not, as the case may be.
 
Just seen a match from the 70s both GKs in green, no numbers and both wearing same socks and shorts as their team mates.
 
We need to check with Minty to see if he remembers some of these games!!

Organised association football was first played in England in the 1860s, and many teams would probably play in whatever clothing they had available, with players of the same team distinguishing themselves by wearing coloured caps or sashes. This came to be problematic though, and an 1867 handbook of the game suggested that teams should attempt "if it can be previously so arranged, to have one side with striped jerseys of one colour, say red, and the other with another, say blue. This prevents confusion and wild attempts to wrest the ball from your neighbour."

The New Brompton team of 1894 sporting typical kit of the era, including heavy jersey, long shorts, heavy high-topped boots and shin pads worn outside the stockings.
The first standard strips began to emerge in the 1870s, with many clubs opting for colours associated with the schools or other sporting organisations from which the clubs had emerged.
 
PinnerPaul said:
Just seen a match from the 70s both GKs in green, no numbers and both wearing same socks and shorts as their team mates.
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As I said, that was the accepted convention 'back in the day.'

Incidentally, having checked back through all the Laws amendments from the 80's I can now say with confidence that there was no change regarding goalkeeper's colours throughout that whole decade, so for that entire time it simply said as it did in 1991, that they had to wear colours that distinguished them from the other participants. In fact as far as I can tell, that the law has never said anything much different from the very first time goalie's colours were mentioned, which was in 1938 with the inclusion of the following wording:

IFAB Minutes 1938.png
 
GraemeS said:
I almost called a match off a few weeks ago because both teams had the same colour socks...
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Seriously?

As much as it's a pet annoyance of mine and at professional level teams wearing same colour shorts/socks just should not happen especially when clubs usually have 3 kits each season, sometimes it's something we just have to live with, no matter how difficult it makes our job whilst refereeing. In the 8 seasons of me refereeing and my son playing, in all the games I have seen at least half the youth teams in Dorset/Bournemouth Leagues have worn/still wear black shorts and socks and the vast majority of teams only ever bring a change of shirt with them at most.

On those occasions it's happened to me when refereeing just had a quick chat with managers before game, something along the lines of look guys both teams wearing black/same colour shorts/socks, which makes calls on corners/throws/offside more difficult, but will do our best, so no complaints please blah blah blah. As much as I might want to make a stand and refuse to start the game until one side changes, games would simply never get played!

During the summer my son played in a 2 day 11-a-side tournament, during the downtime in between his games, we watched a match between 2 sides both wearing all Chelsea blue kits, with the only noticeable difference between the 2 being one side had white adidas stripes on the sleeves/shorts & socks. Must have been a nightmare for the ref, suprised he allowed it, can only presume both sides refused to change/didn't have a different kit with them.
 
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