Football’s lawmakers have no plans to regulate shin pad dimensions despite concerns over their shrinking size.
Some coaches have said they have seen a trend of shin pads becoming much smaller in recent seasons. Concerns have been raised that smaller pads could compromise player safety.
However, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) said players — or the parents or guardians of youth players — must take responsibility for their safety on the pitch.
“Players’ legs are all different sizes and there are so many different materials,” a spokesman said. “Ifab’s view is that this is the responsibility of the individual player and not the referee. Where young players are concerned, that responsibility [should be taken by the coach, parents or guardians].”
The size of shin pads became a talking point at the weekend after 18-year-old Brighton midfielder Jack Hinshelwood wore undersized versions against Arsenal. However, while shin pads are mandatory, there is nothing in the laws to set a required size.
Football Association rules state players must abide by the laws and wear “suitable shin guards that provide protection”.
Bob Sangar, Wycombe Wanderers’ club doctor, said the rules provided by Fifa and the FA are “vague”.
“There’s no real stipulation about how large they have to be and that I think has sort of put this into a grey area for so many officials,” he told BBC Radio 5 live.
Sangar, who also runs his own shin pad manufacturing company, added: “I think there probably isn’t a club doctor in the land that sees their player go out in tiny shin pads and doesn’t cringe.
“I’m fortunate, we’ve got a really relatively mature bunch of players at our club and they do listen but at the end of the day, they’re elite athletes and how they feel in terms of their equipment matters a lot to them.
“There is a trend from some key, perhaps, influential players. Footballers unfortunately are quite a superstitious lot so if they’ve got a formula that seems to work for them, they loathe to deviate from it.”
Andy Clarke, club secretary and coach of two teams at Colchester Villa Youth FC, said they have banned small shin pads believing they add “very little protection” for the young players.
“It’s making that decision [of] what’s best for the boys and girls at the club,” he said. “The smaller the area that it’s covering, the more likely there is to be an injury to that player.”
Clarke revealed all 38 coaches at the club were in favour of banning players from wearing small shin pads.
“There is potential there for injuries,” he said. “You don’t want them off school injured, so it’s just making that decision, what’s best for the boys and girls at the club.”
