Question Number: 16987

Law 4 - Players Equipment 9/30/2007

RE: Travel Team & Middle School Team Under 13

Joan T of Baldwin, NY USA asks...

1- During a game, is it permissible to switch keepers without the one entering the game to check in with the referee?

2- For the three years that my child has been playing on a travel team, no coach has ever called a time-out. During our first Middle School game, the opposing team called 2 time outs. I was wondering what the rules were regarding time outs during a game.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

1) A player on the field may switch positions with the goalkeeper, but only at a stoppage and after the ref has been informed.

2) Middle school games might be played under any or no governing authority. I wouldn't doubt that there could be a middle school league that added time outs into their rules. Or maybe the coach is just a teacher who usually coaches other games like football, where there are time outs. And the little-trained referee has no clue whether they are allowed or not, so if the coach calls one, he grants it.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

No. A keeper change with a player already on the field may be made at any stoppage but the referee has to be notified. If the referee is not notified, upon learning of the keeper change, the referee will caution and show the yellow card to both players at the next stoppage of play. If a substitute is coming in to become the keeper, he may not enter the field of play until the keeper is completly off the field of play and this can only be done with the permission of the referee. 2. There are no "time-outs" in soccer. This must be some strange local Middle School rule.