Jersey number contrast

[TXMike]

I saw the rule change re jersey number visibility that apparently takes effect many years from now .  But for now, in NFHS, what does the rule say, if anything about jersey numbers, specifically color contrast with color of body of jersey!

[AlUpstateNY]

Can't say it's likely to happen quickly, but if the Fashion minded and art major educators left sports issues alone, the world might be a better place.

[TXMike]

I hate the uniform police stuff as much as the next guy but when a competitive advantage is involved that is different.  Someone figured out if you could make it hard for coaches to tell
What numbers were in the game you could affect their ability to adjust by subbing or calls .  The uniform makers became complicit by designing jerseys with little contrast between numeral
And body of jersey . 

[AlUpstateNY]

Someone figured out if you could make it hard for coaches to tell
What numbers were in the game you could affect their ability to adjust by subbing or calls .

If the "Someone" who "figured out if you could make it hard for coaches to tell
What numbers were in the game you could affect their ability to adjust by subbing or calls", focused his attention on designing more deceptive and/or better plays, his team would be a lot better off (and save a lot of the school's money).

[HLinNC]

Its got more to do with the "cool" or "it" factor than some nefarious purpose.  We have a local youth team that has, as I can best describe it, black & white urban camo numerals on their yellow jerseys.

Of course this league gives us a big pffft when we point out that they are supposed to be playing by NFHS rules and they hand us black Under Armour footballs or a cheap rubber one with the Dick's Sporting Goods logo for game balls.

[FLAHL]

I saw the rule change re jersey number visibility that apparently takes effect many years from now .  But for now, in NFHS, what does the rule say, if anything about jersey numbers, specifically color contrast with color of body of jersey!

1-5-1b has all of the specs regarding jerseys.

[TXMike]

Its got more to do with the "cool" or "it" factor than some nefarious purpose. 

. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ncaa-uniform-numbers-getting-harder-to-read-causing-problems/

[HLinNC]

My junior year in HS, we got new Champion, shimmel length, porthole mesh jerseys- home and away sets.

Our coach ordered the white road jerseys to have gold numbers with black trim.  They looked alright on the field and in photos.  However, the coaches couldn't make out anyone's number on film.

My senior year in HS, we got new white Champion jerseys again- the numeral colors were reversed to black with gold trim.

[TXMike]

If anyone here remembers the charlatan who had come up with the “A11 offense “ years back , seems to me in his manual he talked about Jersey colors to help hide numbers

[BIG UMP]

Staying with this post. 

If a coach came up to you in the 2nd Qtr and complained about the opposing teams jersey number contrast what would you do?

Personally I would have to tell him I didn't spend any time with rule 1 except for the football specs.  He'd have to take that up with the state office on Monday.

[FLAHL]

We actually had this a few years ago.  Visiting team had some kind of gray camouflage jerseys and off-white numbers. We couldn’t tell the difference between 6s, 8s, or 9s. Asked one player what his number was and he said “36” when in fact is was 38.  We asked the coach if he had any other jerseys and he said that he didn’t.  We told him we were going to do our best with ineligible receivers downfield, but if we flagged 88 for being downfield because we thought it was 68, he was going to have to live with it.  We let them play - what else could we do?  We reported it to the state and never heard anything else about it.

[TXMike]

It is a concern at the NCAA level for both competitive and media reasons.   That may not be the case at NFHS level. But Texas HSs started pushing the edge of the envelope and guess who rose up and said something needed to be done ? The high school coaches association .  And it had nothing to do with media concerns.  The NCAA rules provide a definitive penalty for non compliance although defining non compliance is a work in progress

[Tom.OH]

Several years ago a SW Ohio school got new Jerseys. Home had blue shirts with green numbers, no trim around the numbers. I never had them Friday night but did JV once. We told the coach pregame we would try to get the number if we could. He fully understood. I heard the away shirts were white with green numbers that could be seen...

[VALJ]

Staying with this post. 

If a coach came up to you in the 2nd Qtr and complained about the opposing teams jersey number contrast what would you do?

Personally I would have to tell him I didn't spend any time with rule 1 except for the football specs.  He'd have to take that up with the state office on Monday.

As long as the jerseys contrast so we can tell the teams apart, "Coach, we're playing with what we have.  Feel free to call the state on Monday." 

If the coach complaining is the home team and wearing their non-white jerseys, the other team likely didn't bring their home jerseys, so they have to stick with what they have.  If the coach complaining is the visiting team, his team is already wearing white and likely didn't bring their other jerseys, so the other team would only be able to change into their white jerseys.