NFHS Announces Eight Rules Changes Approved in High School Soccer

 
belied dat said:
Aligns with NCAA rules. Not much of an issue there. It's actually nice that there's not constant subbing that delays the game.

Without having "stoppage time," it's a nice way to ensure the game flows properly.
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I agree, that in theory, it is a great idea. What I don’t enjoy, is that now you are putting the onus on the volunteer clock operator. In more urban areas, it’s probably not a big deal but I can already see the headache in the rural areas where most operators are parents or high school students who don’t know the rules as it is.
 
Philos_Finest said:
I agree, that in theory, it is a great idea. What I don’t enjoy, is that now you are putting the onus on the volunteer clock operator. In more urban areas, it’s probably not a big deal but I can already see the headache in the rural areas where most operators are parents or high school students who don’t know the rules as it is.
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As well as an onus being put onto the referees in terms of knowing the new rules (and communicating that to the clock operators), which is hit or miss in my experiences.
 
In terms of the clock stopping on substitutions by the leading team within the last five minutes of the second half, the onus will first and foremost be on the referee to give the stop clock signal at the point of substitution. The scorer/timer should be paying attention to that signal and stop the clock at that point. Communication between the officiating team and the timer/scorer is going to be essential -- even something as simple as the local officials association at the start of the season sending an e-mail to all coaches with timing protocols that scorer/timers can go over.

A couple aspects of the change interest me. One is something that will have to be clarified is if the clock stops when both teams have subs at the line or just in cases where the leading team has subs at midfield. The second is if a team is up like 3-0 or 4-0 (i.e. the game is over, but we're not in a running clock), the clock is still stopping. The last one is if the referee will still have the authority in tie games to stop the clock if there is "stalling through substitution" happening (I don't see why not).

The rule change I dislike is the one that aligns with FIFA/USSF in terms of it being a drop ball if play is stopped even with a team in clear possession. As a referee, I wished that FIFA/USSF went with the high school rule on allowing for IFK when stopping with clear possession -- this way you don't have to do the drop ball and hope that the "right" outcome happens through the teams engineering it.
 
bucksman said:
A couple aspects of the change interest me. One is something that will have to be clarified is if the clock stops when both teams have subs at the line or just in cases where the leading team has subs at midfield. The second is if a team is up like 3-0 or 4-0 (i.e. the game is over, but we're not in a running clock), the clock is still stopping. The last one is if the referee will still have the authority in tie games to stop the clock if there is "stalling through substitution" happening (I don't see why not).
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These were my initial thoughts too. I assume there will be some follow up clarification provided soon.
 
Philos_Finest said:
I agree, that in theory, it is a great idea. What I don’t enjoy, is that now you are putting the onus on the volunteer clock operator. In more urban areas, it’s probably not a big deal but I can already see the headache in the rural areas where most operators are parents or high school students who don’t know the rules as it is.
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Is this the fault of NFHS, or is this the fault of lack of leadership at these schools?

It's not hard to educate the volunteers. They prefer it. No one wants to be wrong. The ADs or coaches can step up to the plate and help these volunteers. They're all in it together.
 
So we can have 10 kids trying to get at a drop ball?

That sounds like fun for a ref.

In that case I think I'd rather throw it straight up in the air and get out of the way.
 
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