Question Number: 22703

Law 5 - The Referee 1/5/2010

RE: competitive Under 17

Robert of Roswell, GA US asks...

I understand there are rules that dictate the delay or stoppage of play due to 'severe weather' such as lighting or hail. Are there any rules that dictate when a match should be postponed due to cold temperatures? Heading a ball when the temperatures fall below 40 degrees just can't be safe or healthy.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Robert
In this part of the world games can be and are regularly played below 40 degrees during the winter months as long as pitch conditions are safe. In fact during a recent game there were showers of sleet and hail and the temperature was around 35 degrees. Not very pleasant but it did not prevent the game being played.
I recall a game last season where I had to abandon because of heavy hail showers despite the fact that the pitch was okay. The game had become unpleasant and players were not interested in continuing. You might be aware that in some Eastern European countries games are regularly played below freezing as long as the pitch surface is not frozen and dangerous.
So there is no rule and the referee is the sole judge of whether a game should be played or continue to be played because of the weather conditions or the condition of the pitch.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Any such guidelines on weather would come from the league or association whose fields were being used. Most of them have lightning guidelines and procedures, and if the weather is usual for an area, they may have cold weather, hail, or rain-out policies. If a league has such policies in force, the referees are bound to follow them if they accept the games.

A referee who has any questions about whether the teams want to play or continue to play in inclement weather will check with the coaches. If they want to stop, we stop. If only one wants to stop, the referee must then decide if safety concerns override the desire of one team to continue. If the decision is yes, the game is abandoned and a report written. If the decision is no, play continues until the game is over, or the weather becomes a safety issue in the opinion of the referee.

The league will have policies on what to do about games that end this way - whether they will be replayed or stand as played.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Robert, you must have thought of this a few days ago when it dropped to 14 degrees in Roswell. Here in Georgia, we have guidelines for lightning and some local areas have guidelines for heat and humidity which I think should be implemented by GYSA. We have no direction that pertains to cold weather, perhaps since we have so few days of brutally cold weather.

That said, Laws Of The Game, USSF, and GYSA ALL give the referee the authority to abandon any game if he/she believes there is a safety concern