BAYS Wearable Item Safety Policy

IFAB Laws state: “A player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous. All items of jewelry (necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, leather bands, rubber bands, etc.) are forbidden and must be removed. Using tape to cover jewelry is not permitted.” 

This is covered in BAYS Law 4.  As a youth soccer league, BAYS recognizes that there may be items that a player and their family deem necessary to wear, even during soccer activities, for medical, religious, or cultural reasons that may be exempt for those reasons, but special requirements are in place. 

These items are distinct from items that qualify under the BAYS Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) waiver. It should also be noted that jewelry items worn for the purposes of adornment, including earrings of any kind, are not able to be exempted by this Wearable Item Safety policy.

Wearable Item Safety Process:

  1. Since medical, religious, or cultural wearable items may pose a safety risk, BAYS requires that the item must be properly secured and protected (such as by taping down, covering, wrapping, or secured through other methods) seeking to prevent potential injury. Medical information displayed on an item should stay observable.
  2. Players can play with assistive devices such as prescription glasses, cochlear implant processors, hearing aids, insulin pumps, and other approved equipment that is essential for them to wear in order to play.
  3. It is the Coach's responsibility to point the specific equipment out to the referee before the game, so that if there is an issue—such as the assistive device coming off the player during the game—the referee is aware of the need to stop the play to provide assistance.
  4. It remains the responsibility of the referee at the game to make certain that the item is properly secured and protected and to ensure that the players' equipment and other items are safe.
  5. Players will not be allowed to play wearing the item, if the item is not properly secured and protected in the opinion of the referee.