Question Number: 16569

Law 7 - Match Duration 9/6/2007

RE: Under 12

Molly Jonas of medford, new jersey USA asks...

When the refeeree starts the clock does he stop and restart it for half-time and injuries.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Usually newer referees try to do this. They stop doing it when they forget to start the watch again and run a 30 minute period of play 10 minutes over time. Start stop is a bad idea, if the referee has written down the start time and end time of the current period of play he may get away with a start stop watch to help in determining lost time.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Technically time does not stop. Rather, the referee adds time onto the end of each period to make up for time lost during the period.

How the referee keeps track of this lost time is individual preference. Some use a start/stop watch technique, but as Ref Fleischer mentions, it's too easy to forget to restart. Without a backup for elapsed time, you may be totally lost on when the half should end.

I prefer to keep a running total in my head, in half-minute increments. If say there's an injury, that might take 2 minutes to sort out. When the ball went sailing over the touchline, through the pricker bushes, and into the ditch, we may waste 1/2 or 1 minute as they retrieve it. (A backup ball? What's that?) When we get to the end of regulation time, I'll have an idea that we have to add about 3-1/2 minutes, so that's what I do. Unless there's no reason to add that time. If it's a 8-1 blowout, probably everyone wants to go home anyway. Why prolong things? Law 7 says, "The allowance for time lost is at the discretion of the referee." I've just used my powers of discretion to determine it wasn't 210 seconds wasted, it was really 2.