Question Number: 20909

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 2/28/2009

RE: Rec masters Adult

alan kay of halifax, nova scotia canada asks...

Am I correct in my assumption of how the whistle is used; one blast to stop play, two for half time and three for full time?

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

No, these ideas are just conventions that some people use.

There are going to be times when you blow the whistle more than once, like to get player's attention. That would not mean halftime.

Whistle as required to communicate with players.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

There are no rules as to how many times a whistle is blown for any particular reason. the Laws Of The Game require the whistle to be used at certain times, see below, but do not specify how many times it is to be blown.

76
Use of whistle
The whistle is needed to:
? start play (1st, 2nd half), after a goal
? stop play:
? for a free kick or penalty kick
? if the match is suspended or abandoned
? when a period of play has ended due to the expiration of time
? restart play at:
? free kicks when the wall is ordered back the appropriate distance
? penalty kicks
? restart play after it has been stopped due to:
? the issue of a yellow or red card for misconduct
? injury
? substitution

Around here it is customary to blow once to stop play, twice for halftime and 3 times to end the match but this is not a requirement

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

A whistle is a communication device that can signify many things besides the start or end of a match. Be it a single breath or a series of piercing short bursts or long loud blasts or even a quick chirp just to gain a bit of attention or make a point. The whistle speaks to the players and says something about the referee.
If I am headed into a scrum I might be hammering the whistle to distract anfd annoy the players to stop an altercation if their hands go over their ears rather than strike out at an opponent.
Cheers