Question Number: 17741

Law 7 - Match Duration 11/7/2007

RE: High School

Soccer mom of Dayton, Ohio USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 15326

Last night in the Div II State semi finals match the official was stopping the clock in the last 10 minutes of the game every time the winning team substituted a player. The coach was subbing a player in every couple of minutes as it was towards the end of the game and he really only had 14 tired players that were playing. The players were jogging on and off the field. He only stopped the clock when the winning team made substitutions, the clock ran when the other team made several substitutions. The coach was told it was because the players were not moving fast enough.
I can only assume that the ref felt that the coach was trying to waste time, but does he really have the right to stop the clock and at one point add time back on?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

I have added nearly 9 minutes in a high school match for exactly this reason. Coaches think they can burn playing time by substituting a player at every opportunity. They think they can...

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

The referee has the right to stop the clock in High School if he feels that a substitution is taking an undue amount of time or if time is being wasted. I will often employ this in HS games when I notice the coach subs in 1 player every time he can, and often subs from the far side of the field.

However, if no unusual amount of time is lost through the substitution process then the referee should allow the clock to run during substitutions in high school.

In the NCAA - the timekeeper is required to stop the clock any time the team with the lead is substituting in the last 5 minutes of the 2nd half of regulation by rule. That is not HS however.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

The referee can certainly stop the clock for this. As my colleagues explained, this prevents coaches from wasting time simply by running the clock out through substituting.