Question Number: 22426

11/3/2009

RE: High School, Varsity, 4-A High School

William Calvert of Charlotte, NC USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 22401

Dennis Wickam, Where can I get an answer to my question? The game in question the center referee stopped the clock durring the game for injury then added 6 minutes of stoppage time.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Try the North Carolina High School Athletic Association: http://www.nchsaa.org/ There might be a contact on the site. It also probably would help if your school athletic director made the inquiry, not a parent.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

I checked out the website Ref Voshol noted, and it makes no reference to modifications of the NFSH rules regarding time except that overtime is mandatory if a varsity match is tied at the end of regulation. It also indicates that the default is that there is an official clock (subject to agreement of the coaches to let the head referee keep time on the field) .

With an official clock, the referee would signal for the clock to stop after all goals and cautions, not just to assess and treat injuries. For most games, there will be more than 40 minutes played (in addition to any time relating to injuries.) Moreover, if one team tries to uses substitutions to eat the clock or if something unusual happens, the referee will stop the clock to address these issues. The clock would simply stop and start, however, and end at zero. There is no 'stoppage time' as under the laws of the game. Spectators have to measure elapsed time on their own.

In theory, when the referee controls time on the field, the referee should be starting and stopping the watch (and giving the approved signals) as if there was an official clock, but many do not actually stop their watch. (The risk of forgetting/mistake in restarting the watch has bit all of us.) My experience is that most referees do not add enough time for a high school match, as they are not used to adding time for goals scored or cards shown. Six minutes is not a lot if there were many goals or cautions.

When the referee keeps time on the field, the referee is the sole judge of how much time is left.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi William
Growing up we used to play football under the street lights at night. My mother would call ' It's time to come in'. She usually got a response 'Okay in a minute'. This however never stopped the game and we continued playing. Some 5/6 minutes later we would get 'What did I say. Come in now ' which then ended the game.
The referee is the sole judge of time when he does the timing and the game finishes when he blows that final whistle. Until then player continue to try to score goals and to play to stop goals.
Many times I wished I could have played for another hour either winning or losing but when the 'final whistle' went that was that. The result was important at the time but now it was the playing that really mattered.