TOM'S PAGE
This page is for questions and answers that have been presented to Tom Minter of the MHSAA. If you have a question for Tom, email him and he will
provide us with the question and the answer.
Click here for the most recent Rules Update from the National
Federation of State High Schools.
Questions sent to Tom:
This is an image of the face mask worn by a
player. Your clarification is appreciated.
I would not have allowed the protective mask
that was allowed in the game in question based on the picture you
sent. While the mask seems to conform to the contours of the face
and thus would be okay, my issue is with the straps that are used to
hold it in place. The clips on the strap seem to be of a hard
surface of some type and if they strike another player, both the
wearer and the other players could be injured.
The philosophy of allowing a contoured mask for an injured player is
allowed only if there is no increase in risk either to the player
wearing it or to the other players who may contact it. REMEMBER:
YOU MUST SEE THE DOCTOR’S MEDICAL REQUIREMENT LETTER WITH ITS
CONTENT STATING WHO FOR AND FOR HOW LONG. I am
less concerned with how long, but who for is an absolute must.
I have attached pictures of what was in the approved NF rules
presentation these past 2 years of the type of mask allowed. Note
that the mask in the NF examples shows that Velcro type straps are
used to secure the mask to the face and head. This makes sense as
the Velco straps have no hard surfaces.
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| Can a coach take captains out for breakfast
for the purpose of training them on being good captains and buy their
breakfast without violating the MHSAA rules:
After consultation with other MHSAAA staff members, our opinion is that
the activity mentioned in your email is okay as long as the meals are
in-kind and no cash or negotiable certificates are involved.
If you are providing the meal, then meeting with the captains is okay.
Tom Minter |
What is the state tournament
disqualification rule for a player with Red Cards??? Is it three Reds and
they are disqualified from the state tourney??? Does a Red after an
excessive celebration weigh the same??? This question has been posed to me
by quite a few coaches.
Any player
ejected three times during a season in any sport, regular
and tournament together, is ineligible to participate in or continue in the
MHSAA tournament for that sport.
For soccer,
a yellow/red counts as one ejection. So would a “hard” red. A red card for
excessive celebration counts as one ejection.
Any coach
or other team attendant who gets two ejections in any sport
during the season likewise cannot be present at the tournament site for the
MHSAA tournament.
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Shin Guard Announcement (as of 2/17/07)
At their January 27-28, 2007 meeting, the National
Federation high school soccer rules committee voted to delay implementation of
the ruling requiring shin guards to have the NOCSAE seal on them starting the
fall of 2007.
THE NEW IMPLEMENTATION DATE IS FALL 2008.
This is in response to concerns that shinguard
manufacturers did not have the “new” shinguards with the seals available for
retail purchase.
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| Question: I received the following email from an organization about
playing summer games as a high school team. It has many comments about
"Michigan" high school teams participating. Is this just an "advertising"
gimmick to get me to join, or can we honestly take our teams to an invent like
this? Portions of an email sent to a Michigan high school coach:
We cordially invite you to consider the adidas
National High School Soccer Showcase in your summer team preparation
schedule. Over 265 boys and girls high school teams descended upon
Strongsville, Ohio (Southwest Suburb of Cleveland) in 2006 making this event
the single largest high school tournament in the country. Please go to
www.adidasnationalshowcase for more information and to register your
commitment to attend this one of a kind event.
This unique soccer event is designed to bring high
school soccer teams from around the country to play a series of seven 40
minute games over three days. The boys weekend is scheduled for July 20-22
and the girls weekend is July 27-29. High School soccer teams from Ohio,
Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kentucky, North Carolina, Washington,
Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Connecticut, New York, Tennessee and Texas have
made the adidas National High School Soccer Showcase an important part of
their summer schedule.
Tom's Response:
No
MHSAA member high school could have their team attend this event.
Under MHSAA Regulation II, Section 11(H), article 2(b), since it is during
the summer, a non-school team organized to play only
during the summer could attend. You could take that non-school team as the
coach of that summer team and play up to 15 competition dates. You could do
so only up to August 1st.
The organizers of this event are wrong to make so many references to “high
school” teams as many of the high school athletic associations from the
states listed below, in addition to the MHSAA, do not allow their members
schools teams to have such summer activities. Many state associations
also have travel limitations on the coaches during the summer.
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Question: Do goal post have to be secured?
Answer:
It is an absolute requirement that goal posts in soccer be securely held down such that they cannot tip
over and endanger players. (This happened here in Michigan a few years ago during a practice)
The National Federation High School Soccer Rules Book REQUIRES that “If portable goals are used, they
shall be adequately anchored, secured or COUNTERWEIGHTED TO THE GROUND.” See the play ruling 1.4.1 Situation B.
Unless portable goals have one of the three measures above in place, the game cannot start until one of
the three is done. And even then, only when what has been done is ADEQUATE in the official’s judgment.
If NOTHING has been done to secure the goalposts, then the officials CANNOT ALLOW the game to start.
When officials arrive at the game site and find such a situation, they should immediately notify the host
school’s game management of the situation. The liability that occurs to the officials and to the host school in such a situation is greatly increased by the complete
absence of the required safety measures.
Please advise me if you need further clarification.
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Question:
What is the number of
games you can play on a non-school day?
My reply at the time is a maximum of 3 games (usually on a Saturday) where each game could be no more than 60 minutes.
This is the format most usually followed.
Researching the regulation again causes me to believe there is more flexibility for schools as the regulation actually
states no more than 180 minutes total playing time on the field on the non-school day
with no half more than 30 minutes in length. Therefore an event could consist of 4 games whose halves are 22.5 minutes in length. Or an event could have 6 games whose
halves are only 15 minutes in duration.
There is no mention of a game maximum. Therefore I would now conclude that the MHSAA is not concerned about the
number of games on the day, rather only with the total playing time on the field.
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Question: Can a player switch jerseys (and subsequently numbers) with another players at half time, or anytime during the game?
Sample Situation:
In a NFHS game last night, boys varsity: Midway through the first half I caution player # 11. At
halftime I notice that same player changing jerseys with another player. I point it out to my partner and we just look at each other, neither of us has had this happen
before. Since neither of us know the proper way of handling the situation, we decided prevention is the best course of action. Just before the teams are ready to take
the field I call the orange coach over and warn him that if that player steps onto the field with a different jersey on, he will be sent off. The coach makes him change
and we don't have any more problems from #11.
My question: What if we had not noticed the change until play had restarted.
What is the proper way to handle it? Caution for improper equipment?
My replay is that
the officials handled the situation in the email above correctly by warning the coach of the consequences
of that player entering the game with a different number. Good preventive officiating!
If they had not seen the situation beforehand and had only realized the situation when the kid was on the
field wearing a different number, that player would be guilty of unsporting behavior (rule 12-8-f),
shown a YELLOW/RED card (as it would be their second caution) and disqualified for the
remainder of that game. A sub would be allowed.
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