Equipment, Facilities, Weather
Equipment
Turf & Grass footwear: Depending on the surface being used, players must wear the appropriate footwear. Turf footwear does not offer the same benefits on grass, and could cause injuries to both the person wearing them as well as other players.
Clothing: The variation of weather can be fairly extreme, and appropriate clothing is necessary when playing outdoors. Clothing such as long sleeves, multiple layers and gloves in the cold, and lighter clothing in the heat are strongly encouraged.
Jewelry & Watches: Players should not be wearing watches or any hard material bracelets on their wrists, as this can cause injuries to both the person wearing them as well as other players. Likewise, no necklaces or hanging earrings should be worn during practices, and no jewelry is allowed whatsoever in the games.
Shoe laces: Shoe laces should be tied at all times as it is a serious tripping/falling concern to both the individual as well as other players. Any player with an untied shoe lace should be removed from the activity and have their laces tied on the outside of the area.
Shin pads: Shin pads are required during game play and should also be worn during practices. The shin pads do not prevent serious injury but are necessary to minimize risk during collisions and accidental or incidental contact.
Headwear: Headscarves are allowed according to Law 4 of FIFA’s Laws of the Game. However they must be black, or the same colour as the team uniforms. They must also not pose any dangers to the player wearing it or other players (e.g. opening/closing mechanism around neck, and not have any parts protruding).
Blood: An athlete who is bleeding, has an open wound, has any amount of blood on his/her uniform, or has blood on his/her person, shall be directed to leave the game until the bleeding is stopped, the wound is covered, the uniform and/or body is appropriately cleaned, and/or the uniform is changed before returning to competition.
Casts: Modern protective equipment made of soft, lightweight, padded materials are not considered dangerous and are therefore permitted. Hard casts are considered to pose a danger to both the wearer and other players and are not permitted to be worn. The practice of padding a hard cast does not reduce the element of danger.
Facilities
Field Closures
Grass fields will be closed if the surface is saturated, and the turf field will be closed if there is standing water. In this case, the City of Guelph closes the sports fields. They typically issue this status update by 2pm each day.
If the decision has been made to close the fields Guelph Soccer contacts coaches, players and families regarding the closure of the fields. The decision to close fields is not taken lightly and done with player safety in mind, and coaches should adhere to these policies.
Hazards
Playing Area Hazards: Playing areas should be kept clear of all unnecessary/miscellaneous items not being used such as: pinnies, balls, water bottles and clothing. Apart from simply interfering with the activities, these items are tripping hazards.
Hanging on the goals: The goalposts are not designed to support human weight, and could fall over and cause serious injury, so players should not hang on the cross bar of goals at any time.
Use the gates: When applicable, gates surrounding the playing area should be closed. Nobody should be jumping over fences to enter or exit a facility, and should be using the nearest gate to do so.
Weather
Lightning/Severe Weather
“When thunder roars, go indoors.”
If you can hear thunder, you can get hit by lightning. As soon as you hear thunder, quickly get to a safe location.
Please read Canada Soccer’s Lightning and Severe Weather policy and watch the following video about lightning safety on the soccer field:
Extreme Heat
In the event of a heat advisory warning (as issued by Environment Canada), or game time temperatures above 29°C it is MANDATORY for match officials to provide water breaks as follows:
At the midway point of each half.
Provide a 60 second break.
Game clock is stopped during mandated water breaks.
If a heat advisory warning has not been issued and team officials are seeking water breaks, the request to the match official should occur prior to the game. We recommend that parents, coaches, players, and officials are aware of the recommendations for soccer participation in heat.
