Why Is One Player on a Soccer Team Dressed in a Different Color?

Soccer is a game played all over the world, with 203 countries registered as members with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the world's governing body for the sport of soccer. Part of its appeal is its relatively low equipment costs--a game can be played with just a ball and a net. The goalie on each team wears a different colored uniform from his teammates to distinguish him, because different rules apply to the goalie.

  1. The Soccer Team

    • Each team is made up of at least eleven players--ten who roam all over the field of play, and one goalie who stays near his team's net with the sole objective of keeping the ball out of the net.

      The ten other players fill three distinct roles on a soccer team--forwards, midfielders and defenders. A forward tries to score on the opponent, a defender tries to keep the other team's forwards from scoring, and a midfielder plays to help both the forwards and the defenders.

      A team will also carry four or five extra players who act as substitutes. A substitute can be brought into a game in place of another member of the team.

    How To Identify Each Player

    • Members of each team must wear identical uniforms that easily distinguish them from the opposing team and the referees. To identify players on the same team, each player wears a separate number on the back of his shirt.

      The goalie on each team must also wear a distinct jersey that differentiates him from the players on his team, the players on the opposing team and the referees. This is to distinguish him from every other person on the field, since there are rules that apply only to the goalie.

    Specific Rules for a Goalie

    • The goalie is the only player on the field who may use her hands to handle the soccer ball. She can do this anywhere inside her crease--the space immediately around her goal that is marked by solid white lines. Handling the soccer ball outside of this space will result in a penalty kick.

      A goalie may still roam outside of her crease but must not handle the ball while doing so.

    Other Goalie Equipment

    • While a player who plays in the field often wears a short-sleeved shirt, a goalie is more likely to choose to wear a shirt with long sleeves so that he has extra protection against balls that hit his arms.

      Apart from his unique jersey, the goalie will also often wear gloves. This is to give his hands better protection while he attempts to keep the ball from entering his net. He may wear knee and elbow pads for protection should he dive to make a stop.

      His shoes are similar to the ones worn by other players on the field. They are a running-style shoe with plastic nubs on the bottom that help get better traction on a grass field.