Soccer coaches will have a tougher time running out the game clock next season, thanks to recent rules changes handed down by the national agency overseeing high school sports.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) recently announced eight rule changes for high school soccer.
The rules will impact all high schools in the state, both public and private.
While the majority of changes are administrative, one rule in particular could make it harder for coaches to run out the clock by making numerous substitutions near the end of the game.
Under the changes, the federation mandated that the game clock should stop when a leading team makes a player substitution within the last five minutes of the second period.
“The new rule is meant to prevent coaches in the lead from wasting time and running the clock when no plays are being made,” according to a NFHS press release.
The decision is applauded by Jon Marcus Duncan, head coach of the Jackson Prep Patriots boys soccer team.
The Patriots won the 2019 MAIS boys soccer championship in February.
“You’re going to see coaches make excessive substitutions at the end of the game to waste time,” he said. “That’s a good rule.”
Until now, referees had the discretion of adding additional time to a game if they believed too many substitutions were made or too much time was taken as a result of a celebration or injury.
High school soccer games are divided into two 40-minute halves. The clock continues to run throughout the game. The center referee can extend game time beyond that at his or her discretion.
The rules changes were adopted by the federation’s soccer rules committee in late January and were approved by the NFHS board of directors. They will go into effect at the start of the 2019 season.
NFHS is the national rules-making body governing high school athletics and performing arts activities.
Both the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) and Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) abide by the agency’s decisions, said MAIS Director of Activities Les Triplett.
“When they came down with concussion rules, we followed those to a T,” Triplett said. “Last year, they ruled that offensive (pass) interference no longer resulted in the loss of a down and we implemented it.”
For MAIS, the boys’ soccer season runs from October to February, while the girls’ season runs from late July to early October.
For MHSAA, soccer season for boys and girls runs from late November to the end of January, according to the MHSAA website.
