Question Number: 20686

League Specific 12/20/2008

RE: Div II Under 15

Kathy Sims of Lake Jackson, Texas USA asks...

In a recent tournament, the opposing team did not play all of their players for 50% of the time (which our coach said was a requirement). He raised the issue with the center ref at half time, but was told that the ref was only there to enforce game rules, that he didn't have the responsibility or the capability of enforcing the playing time requirement.

Is the 50% playing time a real requirement, and if so, who is supposed to monitor/enforce it?

Thanks,

Kathy Sims

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If that's a tournament rule than it is 'real'. And if it's a rule, it's the referee's job to enforce it. That said, the referee cannot require the coach to abide by it. If the referee discovers this rule has been broken than it IS a match condition and the referee should write it up in his game report and get it to the proper tournament authorities quickly so they can properly deal with it. The obvious problem is with free subs, it's virtually impossible for the referee to keep up with playing time. When I was working U Little games years back, there was a club policy that a player could play as the keeper no more than half the game. This was easy to keep up with and if a keeper came out for the third quarter (yes, we played 4 quarters instead of 2 halves), we simply told the coach there had to be a new keeper. There also was a club policy that required every player to play at least 3/4 of every game. This was impossible to keep up with.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

There is no way for a referee to track playing time, so if the tournament rules have a 50% minimum, there must be a way for the tournament committee to track it. Yeah, right.

Basically they have written an uninforceable edict. The referee (if indeed the referee is informed of this provision) should inform the coach of his responsibility to play all the players. If it's clear that one of the players isn't getting playing time, the ref may include it in a game report. But since such reports for tournaments often consist of a chit if paper with a score scribbled on it, it's doubtful that the tournament will be acting on the referee's information.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

It is a STYSA playing rule for recreational and lower division competitive play. That said, the referee can do no more than report it appeared the coach did not play all of the players at least 50% of the time.

The referee cannot, should not and will not keep count of who has subbed in and out in an unlimited substitution game. There would be no playing time left. Our job is to referee play, not coaching decisions.

Your avenue to complain is through your youth soccer association, and the commissioner in charge of enforcing the player rules. Do it in writing, and send specific names of players and time in game.