Rules

Does anybody know the rule of metal cleats in High School, NSA, and ASA.

 

Metal has been ok'ed for High School, travel ball will probably follow but not yet as far as I know.

 

thank you!!

 

I will be extremely surprised if ASA follows suit.

 

??

Why's that?

 

Risk of injury to the players and level of injury. It is one think to get cleated by the molded plastic cleats, quite another to take a metal one.

 

Don't get it

Doesn't ASA sanctioned Team USA wear spikes? Isn't there an inherant risk for every competition? Just asking but what governing body recommended spikes for use to the NFHSA? I don' think our girls are that soft. Not to mention having to buy 2 sets of cleats for softball. You could be right but I don't agree!

 

While I don't know who actually brought the rules change to the table, one of the reasons I've heard for NFHS allowing cleats is that since the boys do, why can't the girls. Title IX strikes again, I guess. It is also true that the NCAA does allow metal cleats.

My understanding is that ASA allows metal cleats only in non-coed adult contests. They don't have the parity issues to sweat. Also, from a liability standpoint, prohibiting them is safer than allowing them. Finally, I've heard from persons close to the ASA rules committee who don't expect such a change.

While Team USA may be ASA sanctioned, they normally end up playing under ISF rules. And I am not up on their rules.

 

Its certainly debatable as to whether or not rubber cleats are safer. The game is now much faster with more advanced players...and they're getting better every year. And that includes the weaker teams (its all relative). These girls need the better traction that metal cleats can give in order to AVOID injury resulting from slipping. Injury caused by slipping, especially to joints, can be season enders.

I guess we'll see if spiking injuries really will become a problem.

 

I understand your point. However, when someone has a 6" gash on their leg that was caused directly by the metal cleat, then you can have liability because you allowed that metal cleat.

It's much harder to get a jury to go along with a case built on the statement that the only reason a girl broke a leg on the field when she slipped trying to make a turn was because she wasn't allowed to have metal cleats on her feet.

It's bad enough now when I see runners coming in to the plate "sliding" 10" off the ground trying to knock the catcher over and umpires not doing anything about it. It will be that much worse with metal cleats.