Taking care of your nails is an important routine to ensure they remain healthy and attractive. This includes getting acrylic nails, gel, and other manicure details. However, if you are a soccer player, you need to know if the rules can allow you to play soccer with acrylic nails or not.
So, can you play soccer with acrylic nails? It is possible to play soccer with acrylic nails. This is because no soccer rule directly restricts you from wearing acrylic nails. While this holds, if your nails are too sharp, the match officiator can consider them dangerous to other players and ask you to remove them before the match. This is because soccer rules forbid players from putting on dangerous equipment. In this case, the match officiator will consider your nails dangerous, just like some jewelry.
Trying to understand the impact of nails in soccer can sound a bit complicated. This is because there is no documented rule stating that players should not wear artificial nails. At the same time, you may want to look beautiful and flatter your hands and adding acrylic nails will do the job.
Playing soccer with acrylic nails is possible, but this is subject to the referee’s opinion, especially where the nails are too long or too sharp. A referee can even stop the match if they spot fake nails that appear dangerous and ask the player to remove them. Therefore, as a player, you should be ready for such confrontations and make wise decisions when going to the salon to fix your nails.
While a referee’s opinion can force you to remove your acrylic nails, this does not always mean that they are dangerous. A player may choose to grow long nails, and if they are comfortable playing with them, no one should tell them to cut them as this would intrude on their private space.
Such nails may look more or less like acrylics and pose similar dangers to other players. Thus, as long as players do not use their nails dangerously during the game, they should not be a big deal. On the other hand, a referee should caution any player with long or acrylic nails when they spot their usage in a dangerous manner.
As a referee, you are almost guaranteed that other players will get scratches if there are players with long nails in the game. Thus, it is best to fault players for their long nails as a safety measure. Also, if a player comes to you and informs you that one of them is deliberately attempting to scratch them using their long nails, you should issue a warning.
If you have an upcoming match and you love your acrylic nails, it would be best to wear gloves during the match if you do not want to remove them. Alternatively, you can remove them before the match and replace them after that.
Wearing acrylic nails as a soccer player can be burdensome as they can break, pull against your nail, or affect your grip. Thus, it is wise to understand your lifestyle and put on acrylics that suit it best. Fake nails can be uncomfortable if you have never worn them before.
It may take a while before you become used to them, after which you will be comfortable undertaking most of your daily activities and chores in them. The good thing is that even short acrylics still look elegant, and with proper care, you can wear them longer as a player.
Long acrylics, over 1.3cm in length, are more likely to break and chip than short ones. Given the nature of soccer, holding the ball with your hands, interacting with your teammates when running, and the constant falls during the game, you would want to wear the short acrylics to be safe yet elegant.
Such measures will protect not only your colleagues but also yourself from nail injuries. With short acrylic nails, you are less likely to suffer from breakages and infection. If bacteria find their way under your nails, you are likely to suffer an infection. However, the chances of this happening are smaller if your acrylic nails are short.
While wearing your short acrylics as a soccer player, you should also practice regular care like you would with your natural nails. In fact, with acrylics, you will need to go a notch higher with your nail care routine. First, you will need to moisturize your hands regularly.
As a sportsperson, you are always hands-on with the ball. This may take a toll on your acrylic nails, and to lengthen their life, you will need to moisturize them at least twice a day using essential oils. Essential oils are ideal as they also strengthen the nails.
While outside the pitch, you should care for your nails by wearing waterproof gloves when doing your household chores. Water weakens acrylic nails and can make them loose, causing them to fall out. Thus, to reduce the amount of water coming in contact with your nails, you should wear gloves when doing your dishes or cleaning your car, among other chores. After finishing these chores, wash your hands thoroughly to prevent the spread of bacteria. You can also swipe your nails with an alcohol swab to clean them.
Another way you can protect your nails as a soccer player is to get fill-ins often. Letting your nails grow out increases the chances of breakage. This may later cause issues when you wear a glove or try to catch a ball. When your nail breaks, you should go to your nail technician rather than fixing it yourself.
Trying to fix your nail may cause damage or infection, depending on the severity of the breakage. In addition to the fill-ins, you should also apply nail polish and several coats on your nail to harden and make them strong.
Can You Play Soccer With Long Nails?
If you can grow your nails long, you cannot help but admire how beautiful they look. Despite their beauty, these nails are limiting, and one of the things you may not be able to do well is play soccer.
Playing soccer with long nails is possible but not recommended. One of the reasons this is the case is because you will likely injure other players intentionally or unintentionally during the game. As you run to catch the ball or tackle another player, you will likely scratch them unknowingly.
Another reason is that long nails, especially the toenails, make you susceptible to injuries and infections as a player. Thus, to be safe, you should trim your nails before your match or during your season.
If you are a goalkeeper, your long nails will likely limit your efficiency and effectiveness. You will experience difficulty catching the ball and might miss on some kicks, making your team lose. On the other hand, the ball might land wrongly in your hands, break your nails, or rip them off altogether. Thus, as a keeper, the best way to protect your fingernails is to maintain them short and trimmed.
With acrylic nails becoming a thing of the past, most people now prefer to keep their nails long and natural instead of destroying them with acrylics. This way, they can escape the costly trips to the salon for refills. To some extent, maintaining natural nails helps prevent frequent infections and allergic reactions common with acrylics. Natural nails are also safe, given that the glue and products used in acrylics are flammable, and one has to exercise care on what they expose themselves to.
If you decide to keep your finger or toenails long as a soccer player, then you should endeavor to protect them from damages. Among the common toenail injuries include the soccer bloody toenail. This injury occurs when your toenail experiences external pressure when you kick the ball or when another player steps on you.
This injury can also occur when you wear ill-fitting or tight shoes. This pressure causes the blood vessels underneath your toenail, especially the big toenail, to burst. The common symptoms of a soccer bloody toe include severe pain in the affected area and black discoloration on the toenail. If you get this injury, you should consult your doctor for treatment to get rid of the bloody toenail.
As a soccer player, it is almost impossible to avoid the soccer bloody toenail. However, there are a few practices you can adopt to prevent its occurrence. For instance, you should trim your toenails regularly and avoid maintaining them too long. Other things you can do include wearing properly fitting shoes and socks and wearing sturdy shoes that can resist pressure and will not damage easily during the game.
Another common condition you will prevent by trimming your nails is the ingrown toenail. As a player, ingrown toenails can become a nuisance if you insist on keeping your toenails long. An ingrown nail is characterized by the nail growing downward into your toepad rather than stretching straight out. It is caused by the downward force from running and sprinting, which pushes the nail in this direction.
An ingrown toenail will cause inflammation to the surrounding soft tissues. These tissues will become red, swollen, and painful to touch. At other times, the tissues may get infected with bacteria, releasing a yellow or white discharge.
To prevent an ingrown toenail, you should practice good nail trimming. You should trim your nails, leaving a small extension over the toepad. However, nail trimming is not a guarantee that you will never experience an ingrown toenail. Thus, when you do and detect it early, soak your feet in warm Epsom salt water for about twenty minutes at least twice daily to aid the healing process. You can also shim under the infected nail edge with some cotton to aid the healing.
If these measures do not work and the infection worsens, you should visit a doctor who may prescribe antibiotics. The doctor may also remove the infected part of the nail with a simple procedure. This way, the soft tissue will heal, and the new nail can grow over the next few months.
In addition to practicing good nail trimming techniques, you can protect your toenails by wearing the right fitting shoes. To start with, you should buy properly fitting shoes and lace them correctly. To find such a shoe, it is advisable to shop later in the day rather than the morning hours.
This is because your feet are usually swollen in the later hours, and you will fit into the larger foot. Your shoe should also have a wide toe area and good side support that will allow your feet to wiggle freely without getting pinched.
Finally, to ensure the strength and durability of your short or long nails, you should practice filing. You should file your nails from the corners to the center to prevent splitting. After filing, soften your nails by soaking them in a soap bath, after which you should remove the cuticles.
After that, you can dry your nails and apply a base coat and sealer. These two products help grow healthy and strong nails. You should apply two coats as the base and allow it to dry before you apply the polish. You can then apply another coat on top as the sealer. As long as your nail polish is intact, then your nails remain protected.
Wrap Up
Acrylic nails are elegant and flatter your nails as a woman. Thus, the temptation to go for them can be high. However, lifestyle is a key determinant as to the type of nails you can keep. If you are a soccer player, acrylic nails can work for you only if you maintain them short. Long acrylic nails are not only dangerous to you but also to your colleagues, as you may end up scratching and injuring them intentionally or unintentionally during the match.
Like acrylic nails, long nails are also a concern if you are a soccer player. Very long nails are not only dangerous but also uncomfortable. You may not perform at your best since such nails will affect your grip. Long nails may also pose a health threat by acting as a route for bacterial infection and other nail complications. Thus, whether you choose acrylics or your natural nails, trimming them will go a long way in keeping them healthy and enable you to play efficiently.
