A&H

Tiny Shin Pads

OldNavyRef

OldNavyRef

Well-Known Member
Level 5 Referee
Football Association rules state players must abide by the laws and wear "suitable shin guards that provide protection"

A new BBC article basically says, tiny Shin Pads are here to stay.

www.bbc.co.uk

No plans to regulate shin pad sizes - Ifab

Football's lawmakers have no plans to regulate shin pad dimensions despite concerns over their shrinking size.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 
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I don’t know if they still do, but US high school at least used to have a chart with the dimensions required for shin guards based on the height of the player . . .
 
The full quote from the laws is "of a suitable material to provide reasonable protection". Nothing about size aside from the fact they have to be small enough to be covered by socks.

It's stupid to wear those and the laws need to be changed to catch up, but a ref refusing to allow these under current laws is overstepping.
 
GraemeS said:
The full quote from the laws is "of a suitable material to provide reasonable protection". Nothing about size aside from the fact they have to be small enough to be covered by socks.

It's stupid to wear those and the laws need to be changed to catch up, but a ref refusing to allow these under current laws is overstepping.
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'Appropriate size' is now mentioned in the glossary too but responsibility is put on the player.
 
At the end of the day, a player having pathetically tiny shin pads is a danger to nobody other than that player, so as a referee I don't really see why it's any of our concern, as long as he is wearing shin pads as stated in law.
 
I asked my CFA and youth league about this and they just quoted the LOTG. No real help at all.

My angle as a referee in youth football was the welfare of a player. If said player gets injured and we let them play surely we are part of the problem?

Eventually this is going to blow up and the FA will be forced to do something.
 
Just call PIADM every time the player with tiny pads puts himself at risk of getting kicked! 😂

More seriously, ikvd often wondered how much of a significant safety issue they really are. Sure, they make it less painful when you get kicked. But how much do they really prevent significant injuries? I’m curious if there is any data on that, but I’m dubious that it is very often that they have any meaningful impact on something serious (and that’s before we start talking about postage stamp size pads). I do always wear them to play myself, but it’s because I don’t like pain rather than I think it will protect me from anything serious.
 
How many more times is this going to come up? The last time someone asked IFAB whether there was a minimum size for shin pads and they replied no there isn't, so there it is quite literally from the horse's mouth. As long as they have shin pads of a suitable material, and they are fully covered by the socks, that is the referee's responsibility over with.
 
RustyRef said:
How many more times is this going to come up? The last time someone asked IFAB whether there was a minimum size for shin pads and they replied no there isn't, so there it is quite literally from the horse's mouth. As long as they have shin pads of a suitable material, and they are fully covered by the socks, that is the referee's responsibility over with.
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Referees keep talking about it because they're not happy with the lack of direction and guidance from IFAB / The FA.

This needs rewording.
 
Kent Ref said:
Referees keep talking about it because they're not happy with the lack of direction and guidance from IFAB / The FA.

This needs rewording.
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There has been direction and guidance from IFAB that was posted on this very site. Don't disagree that the laws should be updated, but the guidance was unequivocal, the size of the pads is not a consideration.
 
The law and guidance is clear enough, but I guess the reason it keeps coming up is that we can see a leg break coming one weekend that could have been prevented had common sense been included in the guidance. As much as I agree "it's the players (or parents) responsibility", doesn't make an avoidable leg break in a game any nicer.
 
Would it be allowable for youth league to add something to their own competition rules about the size of shin pads?

I think most of us are concerned about youth players copying their heroes and wearing what we consider to be unsuitable micro shin pads, and the parents / coaches being too soft to make them wear 'proper' ones.
 
benmc said:
The law and guidance is clear enough, but I guess the reason it keeps coming up is that we can see a leg break coming one weekend that could have been prevented had common sense been included in the guidance. As much as I agree "it's the players (or parents) responsibility", doesn't make an avoidable leg break in a game any nicer.
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That's a lot of faith you are putting in shin pads there.

A challenge with enough force to break a leg is unlikely to be prevented from a shin guard. Shin guards mostly protect from lacerations/cuts from boot studs/blades rather than brute force injuries.

And, at the end of the day, as IFAB have very clearly and unequivocally stated, shin pad size and judgment of protection afforded is a matter for individual players and their clubs.
 
cdsman said:
Would it be allowable for youth league to add something to their own competition rules about the size of shin pads?
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No. It is a matter for individual players, and their clubs..

cdsman said:
I think most of us are concerned about youth players copying their heroes and wearing what we consider to be unsuitable micro shin pads, and the parents / coaches being too soft to make them wear 'proper' ones.
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If the parents don't care then, really, why should we?
 
Agree with @JamesL - its down to the players & clubs (parents as well if youth level)

If they don't care, why should we? As long as there is some form of shin pad, then our job is done.
 
bester said:
Good shin pads can absorb 90%+ of the impact force, could easily be the difference between a broken leg or not.
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source? I don’t believe that number is even close to accurate. I think the pads do only a slight amount of absorbing, but mostly what they do is spread the force to a larger part of the leg (and create a barrier against cuts). The larger pad doesn’t just protect a larger area, but has a larger area to distribute force. All that said, I agree that with the Laws, it’s not our job to decide what pads are OK—well, unless it’s the guy who stuffs some napkins from McDonalds down his sock and pretends they are shin pads. (Yes, actually saw this one in a 16U game.)
 
I mentioned this to someone I know who is a physio, and the logic behind the small shin pads, apart from being they are more comfortable, is that the middle of the shin is most at risk and therefore needs most protection. It was described as being like if you put a piece of wood (representing the shin) between two piles of bricks (representing the knee and ankle). If you then stamp on the ends of the wood near to the bricks it is unlikely to break, whereas if you stamp on the middle it is much more likely to. Not a risk I'd be taking personally but I can see the logic, and it does explain why top level physios are allowing £100 million players to wear tiny shin pads.

Where the argument obviously falls flat is where they have their socks really low like Alexander Arnold and Grealish, as the pads are very clearly not anywhere near the middle of the shin.

But in any case, it really isn't something for referees to get involved with.
 
RustyRef said:
I mentioned this to someone I know who is a physio, and the logic behind the small shin pads, apart from being they are more comfortable, is that the middle of the shin is most at risk and therefore needs most protection. It was described as being like if you put a piece of wood (representing the shin) between two piles of bricks (representing the knee and ankle). If you then stamp on the ends of the wood near to the bricks it is unlikely to break, whereas if you stamp on the middle it is much more likely to. Not a risk I'd be taking personally but I can see the logic, and it does explain why top level physios are allowing £100 million players to wear tiny shin pads.

Where the argument obviously falls flat is where they have their socks really low like Alexander Arnold and Grealish, as the pads are very clearly not anywhere near the middle of the shin.

But in any case, it really isn't something for referees to get involved with.
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A Premier League physio was asked on national radio this week about the mini-pads, and said he and the other physio's are against them, but having expressed their views they have found players continue to wear them regardless.
 
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