Question Number: 19679

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 8/1/2008

RE: High School

Franco of midwest, midwest USA asks...

Do you have a problem with a team having more than one captain on the field at a time?

What roles, responsibilities, privileges does the captain of team have with the referees?

Franco

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Franco this is from Law 12 in the Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees section:

The captain of a team has no special status or privileges under
the Laws of the Game but he has a degree of responsibility for the
behaviour of his team.

Please note that the word captain is singular in tense. Please also note the captain is the team's leader and he is expected to have some amount of control or responsibility for his team's behavior. This includes his team's technical area.

Do I have a problem with a committee of captains showing up for the coin toss. Yes. Why? Which do I hold accountable for his team's behavior? Which chooses heads or tails? Which chooses which end to attack? Who amongst the committee is the team's leader? Who do I allow to approach [more than the once] me if there is a problem on the field? Do I have a problem, OF COURSE I do... In every place the word captain is used in the Laws it is singulair. It appears three times. If you want me to ignore that singularity what else do you expect me to ignore from the Laws? What indeed?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

At the youth game level, the captain position is ceremonial and honorary. Often the captain is the player who's mom brought the snacks. If there's a problem on the field, I'm going to be talking with the coach to resolve it, not a 12-year-old captain. So if more than one comes to the center circle for the coin toss, I simply ask who will be calling it. And, following the example of the NFL a few years ago when there was an argument over what was called, I repeat their choice: 'Heads is called.' 'Heads it is - which end of the field to you want to start in?'

When the teams get older and move to the elite levels, follow Ref Fleischer's instructions.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Hi Franco. I have no problem with multiple captains as at the youth level being a captain is basically honorary. At the coin toss I ask the captains to decide which one will call it and go from there. At higher levels of play I agree completely with Ref Fleischer