Question Number: 25716

Law 7 - Match Duration 11/6/2011

RE: local association league Under 11

A.J. Mays of Burkburnett, Texas US asks...

Can the ref add time to a game? If he can must the coaches be notified of this and how much time had bee added?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Law 7 says,
'Allowance is made in either period for all time lost through:
* substitutions
* assessment of injury to players
* removal of injured players from the field of play for treatment
* wasting time
* any other cause
The allowance for time lost is at the discretion of the referee.'

In a high-level game the referee indicates the amount of time to be added, and the fourth official will display that time on the substitution board. At lower levels, there is no requirement to announce the time, but there is no reason to keep it secret either.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi AJ
One of the powers given to the referee is that he can make allowance for all time lost in a game by adding on time at the end of a half or at the end of a game.
It is not necessary for coaches to be notified.
At the higher levels the 4th official displays the minimum time that the referee is adding on through an electronic display

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Under the laws of the game, the referee can add for time lost for unusual circumstances such as injuries, substitutions, retrieving balls etc. The amount of time is at the discretion of the referee, but is often limited by practical concerns for most youth leagues in that there is a short interval between scheduled matches.

The coaches are not required to be notified, but in my experience it can be very helpful for the referee to announce 'Adding at least X minutes.' The team that is ahead wants zero added time, the team that is losing would like an extra ten minutes. Letting the coaches and players know the minimum amount of added time sometimes diffuses the tension over when the match will be ended.
(The 'at least' is advisable because a referee can add time during added time.)