At half-time on Saturday I looked over the fence at the Schoolboy match taking place next door. Both the referee and one of the goalies were wearing blue tops and black shorts. It bacame quite obvious when they were fairly close together at a corner kick.

I thought this wasn't allowed. Does such a rule exist or is it in my imagination? If it is a rule, who should change?

You're right, the referee and the goalie shouldn't clash.

Both goalies should be wearing different shirts from each other too.

If the referee and the goalie (or the team) are wearing the same colour of shirt, it is the responsibility of the players to change.

However, it is not really feasible in youth football, because teams often only have one or two strips and it is not always possible to avoid clashes between a goalie and the ref. There isn't a real problem caused by such a clash, so it's better to just go ahead and play the game.

Most of the refs I've dealt with will have a choice of kits to wear and will try and use one that doesn't require any of the players/keepers to change their kit.

Rather strangley, a couple of refs have asked me recently if I think their all black outfit would clash with our home black and white kit. I point out (very politely of course) that we managed with referees wearing all black kits for over 100 years so it shouldn't be a problem.

I'm a referee, and that's what I do too. I have a black top and a yellow one as well as a horrible old blue one which is for emergencies.

Technically though, it is the responsibility of the teams to change should there be a clash.

Thanks, guys. I mentioned it was a schoolboys match because I realised that they probably don't carry too many spare colours with them.

On the same subject of colours, I always thought it was strange that it was the away team who had to change as the home team presumably had a change strip to hand in the clubhouse.

The team which has to change has alternated between home and away teams several times. Home teams had to change until the early 1980s, but there were so many objections from clubs who wanted to play in front of their fans in their first colours - I remember Partick Thistle were very vociferous - that it has been away sides change ever since.

In our League the match secretaries agree colours to be worn a few days before each match.

I've not heard of that rule, but on several occasions this season I've had to change our goalie strips at home games because the away team has only turned up with one 'keepers kit which clashes with our keepers' kit or the referees kit.

At the Crossgates v Linithgow match on Saturday the officials all had yellow tops on in the first half but changed into all-black outfits after a drenching, thereby clashing with the Crossgates goalie. Now it didn't bother me but it was a bit ironic as they had insisted on the Rose subs putting yellow bibs on to stop them from looking too similar to the boys on the park.

Did anyone think there was a bit of a clash too when Rangers played Dundee Utd at the weekend? Alexander wore a red kit which i thought clashed with the orange of Utd

I've heard that the referee's vision wasn't 100% at that match anyway.

When Motherwell played Dundee Utd a few weeks ago Dundee Utd outfield players played in all white while the goalkeeper wore a very light grey top. OK, he was wearing black shorts but I thought it was quite difficult to distinguish a difference between the tops at distance.

Surprised the referee allowed it but then Scottish referees are full of surprises!

Any colour-blind folk out there? I remember in the days of black-and-white TV they would get teams to change if they would look similar in monochrome e.g. Dundee v Hearts, dark blue & maroon, looked the same. Are there any teams which "clash" for anyone who's colour-blind?