A parent asked me if baseball cleats are allowed in soccer. I didn't know. The Laws don't seem to give answers on what is and isn't allowed, just as long as they aren't dangerous. I googled it and got lots of hits that baseball cleats aren't allowed in soccer. Lacrosse cleats aren't allowed in soccer, etc. What makes a cleat dangerous or not dangerous in soccer? There was some mention of cleat "pattern" making some cleats dangerous. I do youth matches and I just make sure the cleats are non metal and nothing looking sharp. Any thoughts? Thanks.
Legal Cleats
- Thread starter NOVARef
- Start date
So it depends on the boots that they are wearing. From my knowledge blades are banned as they been consider dangerous equipment. In terms of metal studs they are allowed (I personally wear boots that have metal and plastic studs). However for metal studs it depends on the lengths of the stud, if the stud is more than a certain length then it is determined dangerous and the player cannot wear those boots. Also rugby boots are allowed, but not recommened. To answer your question, using the image below as an exam (I preumse all cleats your similar studs on the bottom), those sharp points ones would be considered dangerous in this game where slide tackles take place, this is is a kinda physical game.
Kinda answered in this forum questions:
Studs on football boots.....
Law 4 simply says the player's equipment has to be (in the opinion of the referee) "safe" and not much else really. My question is, are smooth metal studs (the same as found on rugby boots) perfectly acceptable for a football match safety-wise, and if not why not? Opinions are not what counts...
www.refchat.co.uk
But to summarize I would advise parents to get their kids football(soccer) boots as it isn't really recommended to mix and match shoes for different sports, as they all serve different purposes.
socal lurker
RefChat Addict
I would guess that the parents are asking about youth baseball shoes that have molded cleats similar to soccer cleats, but will have a different pattern of the studs. As @Kref says, the kids are better off with soccer shoes, as they are structured differently, as they are designed to provide support for different things.
There is no absolute ban on using those molded baseball shoes--but the decision is up to the referee at the game to evaluate the particular shoe and referees may decide that a particular shoe is dangerous and not allow.
There is no absolute ban on using those molded baseball shoes--but the decision is up to the referee at the game to evaluate the particular shoe and referees may decide that a particular shoe is dangerous and not allow.
It all depends on whether you, as referee, determine that the boots are safe or unsafe.
maidenmullet
New Member
I would say; imagine yourself in those boots and think what could be done if you were to play with them on.