Monthly Archives: May 2016

Law Changes 2016-2017

Important Information

On Monday, our instructor Wayne Merrick started a multi-part series on the changes to the Laws of the Game for 2016-2017.  A PDF copy of Wayne’s Powerpoint presentation is available here.  It includes a summary of the changes to the 17 laws along with detailed analysis of the changes to Laws 1 through 4.  Changes to the remaining Laws will be covered in future monthly classes.

One major change is that the Laws are now published by the IFAB, not FIFA.  The IFAB is the organization responsible for maintaining the Laws so the publications are now branded with the IFAB designation.

An electronic version of the 2016-2017 Laws booklet, along with a publication covering analysis of the changes is available at http://www.theifab.com/

 

New Uniform Info

General Information

U.S. Soccer Federation Debuts New Referee Uniform from Official Sports International at NWSL Matches
The May 1, 2016 NWSL matches marked the debut of the latest version of the Official U.S. Soccer Referee Uniform. Officiating crews in Boston, Chicago and Seattle wore redesigned kits featuring the recently-launched U.S. Soccer Referee Program logo.

Official Sports International, the exclusive Referee Uniform Supplier of U.S. Soccer, incorporated direct feedback from referees at all levels during the redesign process. The new kit features a number of improvements including a sleeker design that is now available in both men’s and women’s cuts for the first time.

The uniform will be available to the referee community for purchase this summer in Pro and Economy versions. The uniform will be sold in five colors, with red, yellow and green available first, while blue and black will be released around the holidays. The current official jersey uniform style can still be worn during matches through 2018.