GK change at halftime

[CG]

Today in a game I was coaching, I decided to make a GK change at halftime. I normally alert the referee to this but the past few times I've had refs tell me that it was unnecessary. So I didn't bother with telling the ref. About 10 minutes into the 2nd half, he stops play and walks up to the GK and gives him a yellow card. He explained to me it was because I didn't tell him about the change. He said had the GK touched the ball INSIDE the box he could have awarded a free kick(can't remember if he said PK or indirect). After the game I asked him why you have to notify the ref of a GK change at halftime and neither he nor one of the AR's had any idea. Can anybody answer this question?

[Ref Flunkie]

Today in a game I was coaching, I decided to make a GK change at halftime. I normally alert the referee to this but the past few times I've had refs tell me that it was unnecessary. So I didn't bother with telling the ref. About 10 minutes into the 2nd half, he stops play and walks up to the GK and gives him a yellow card. He explained to me it was because I didn't tell him about the change. He said had the GK touched the ball INSIDE the box he could have awarded a free kick(can't remember if he said PK or indirect). After the game I asked him why you have to notify the ref of a GK change at halftime and neither he nor one of the AR's had any idea. Can anybody answer this question?

Actually he can NOT award a free kick in the box, as he was the designed keeper, regardless if the substitution was notified or not (the worst he can do is caution the GK at a stopage of play when he notices the change). This is one of those anal retentive rules. I believe (I know someone will jump in with the exact paragraph in the LOTG) that you are suppose to notify the center referee with any GK change. I'm not sure if they have not modified it where this is only required if the sub takes place during a half, where as if the change was made at halftime, there is no need for notification (again someone will find this somewhere, I'm too lazy to look). In any case, it is stupid (IMO) for the center to give the GK a yellow card and make a big deal about this. At most he should make a comment to you to please let him know the next time you change your GK. I'm sure it was obvious who the GK was, and it had no bearing on the game that he was changed out at the half....so he should have just let it go.

[AAGunner3]

Today in a game I was coaching, I decided to make a GK change at halftime. I normally alert the referee to this but the past few times I've had refs tell me that it was unnecessary. So I didn't bother with telling the ref. About 10 minutes into the 2nd half, he stops play and walks up to the GK and gives him a yellow card. He explained to me it was because I didn't tell him about the change. He said had the GK touched the ball INSIDE the box he could have awarded a free kick(can't remember if he said PK or indirect). After the game I asked him why you have to notify the ref of a GK change at halftime and neither he nor one of the AR's had any idea. Can anybody answer this question?

Yeah, it's one of those rules that can easily be misread too strictly.

If you've got a keeper on the centerline in a keeper jersey asking for a sub, I figure that's all the notification I need.

At halftime, another player enters the field of play wearing a keeper jersey, that's all the notification I should need too.

During the course of play however or during a non-substitution stoppage in play, I expect explicit notification that players on the field are swapping with the GK. One so that I can disallow it during play, and two, so that I can allow it during any stoppage.

[Gary V]

Did this ref caution the exiting keeper? Did he also caution all those other players that came on at half, without receiving his explicit permission? Why not? Just because they didn't wear the spiderman jersey? If you're going to enforce one point of the Law to the letter, why not the rest of it?

In youth games where we have unlimited substitutions, all you have to do to start either half is count the correct number of players, and see that one is a goalkeeper. And no, if the unreported kid with the unique shirt touches the ball, you do not award any type of free kick.

There's two reasons that the Laws say a ref has to be notified of the keeper change. First, to make sure he allows enough time before the restart for the new keeper to get into position (and the old keeper to get out of the keeper duds - which can be accomplished off the field if it can't be done in a reasonable amount of time, team plays short in the interim). Second, to alert him that if either the old or new keeper is already sitting on a caution, he has to watch who might receive a second caution.

[whitehound]

Whenever you have a situation like this you should GO TO THE BOOK yourself and see exactly what it says.....dont ask a message board what the rule is as you may get wrong answers(see above)
You are only required to notify the center reff if a goalkeeper changes positions with someone on the field. Not at halftime, not during a legal sub opp with someone on the side lines. The situation didnt pass the idiot test for a reason.

[NHRef]

Half time player swaps, any player swaps, are counted as substitutions. However in most youth leagues you have unlimited substitutions. You technically need to get refs permission to sub even at halftime so that the number of subs can be tracked. Recall the USWNT Olympic game when the CR and ARs didn't show for the OT, US had a sub waiting at mid-field, but nobody to checkin with. She could not simply step onto the field.

subs are subs are subs, and they must have the refs permission to enter the field. THAT was the cautionable offense. However in a youth league with unlimited subs, I just count bodies at the beginning of the second half and go from there.

[billf]

I think the fact that the new goalkeeper entered the field to start the second half with a goalkeeper's shirt on is enough to indicate he is now the goalkeeper. Nobody needs to inform you who is going to be the goalkeeper at the start of the game, the shirt tells you that. Even if the new keeper switched shirts during play with another player, he could not be penalized by handling the ball in the area. The shirt indicates that he is the keeper and has the ability to use his hands. Both the new and old keeper would still be cautioned during the next stoppage of play, but the player currently wearing the shirt has the ability to handle the ball in the area regardless of whether the referee was informed of the change.

[ref47]

q&a's to lotg 2004. law 3, q 3.10:
a player changes places with the goalkeeper during half-time without informing the ref. the new keeper then touches the ball with his hand in his own penalty area during the second half. what action does the ref take?

he allows play to continue and cautions both players for unsporting behaviour when the ball next goes out of play.

the higher the level of play, the more likely i will issue the cautions. lower level youth or rec - trifling.

[CG]

q&a's to lotg 2004. law 3, q 3.10:
a player changes places with the goalkeeper during half-time without informing the ref. the new keeper then touches the ball with his hand in his own penalty area during the second half. what action does the ref take?

he allows play to continue and cautions both players for unsporting behaviour when the ball next goes out of play.

the higher the level of play, the more likely i will issue the cautions. lower level youth or rec - trifling.
It's odd to me how many different answers I'm getting. Some people say you do need to inform the ref. Some say you don't. Frustrating. I'll be on the safe side and just inform the ref. What I fail to understand is why I don't have to notify the ref of field player subs at halftime if I have to specifically for the GK.

[njref]

q&a's to lotg 2004. law 3, q 3.10:
a player changes places with the goalkeeper during half-time without informing the ref. the new keeper then touches the ball with his hand in his own penalty area during the second half. what action does the ref take?

he allows play to continue and cautions both players for unsporting behaviour when the ball next goes out of play.

the higher the level of play, the more likely i will issue the cautions. lower level youth or rec - trifling.

While I can't imagine issuing a card in a youth game for a GK sub at half-time w/o permission, I try to encourage coaches to seek permission. Sometimes the substitute GK will appear without a proper distinguishing shirt - either no gk jersey at all or the jersey is the same color as the opposition jersey (or with a hat that may not be legal). Then the game is delayed while everyone runs around looking for another color jersey. If the coach asked permission, you would catch the problem before everyone was on the field ready to go. This happened to me this past weekend, the new GK did not want to wear the first GK's jersey because it was sweaty!

Also, in some u-little house leagues there may be rules that require GK subs, so that everyone gets to play different positions.

Finally, while I don't want to be a jerk about it, I like to encourage coaches to follow the rules giving the referee authority over substitutions or other matters.

[ref47]

some of the adult leagues i work limit subs; use sub passes. you need to keep track of the number to make sure it does not exceed the max. remember, the lotg and q&a's are intended for the highest level of play. as we move down the scale we can temper the application to some of them, like the keeper change notification, as it is not important to that level of play. but, competitive, travel, older youth games should not get too far from the full application of the lotg.

as to why we don't apply the sub rules exactly as written for half-time changes, well, with unlimited subs and reentry possible, it is not critical to the game at that level. but, when subs are limited, you better keep track and follow the law exactly.

[billf]

I really don't think there have been many different answers here. The consensus seems to be that the referee does not need to be specifically made aware of the sub at halftime. One player in a different shirt from each team and a full complement of players on the field seems to be enough to indicate who the goalkeeper is at the beginning of a half when the match allows unlimited substitution with multiple re-entry. If it makes a coach feel better to let the referee know, then there's no harm in that. However, that something like what was described in the first post happened, indicates that many referees simply don't understand or know the finer points of the laws very well. As a referee, it is important to check things such as the number of players and the color of each goalkeeper's shirt prior to each half's kickoff. We shouldn't have to depend on the coaches drawing our attention to these kinds of obvious details nor should we allow myths like this perpetuate themselves because it adds credibilty to the incorrect referee who cautions players for something that is not incorrect or penalizes a team when the obvious goalkeeper handles the ball legally.

[refmike]

It is considered unsporting behavour for a field player and keeper to change jearseys during play without notifying the referee. IN THIS CASE, both players should be cautioned at the next stoppage after it is discovered. The person with the keeper shirt is still the keeper, however, and is allowed to touch the ball within his own penalty area.

The only reason to notify the referee of a change at halftime is so he won't think the switch was done during play after the half started. When the referee looks around before starting the first or second half, he is accepting everything he sees as correct, including a different person wearing the keeper shirt.

[fiddlestick]

Whenever you have a situation like this you should GO TO THE BOOK yourself and see exactly what it says.....dont ask a message board what the rule is as you may get wrong answers(see above)
You are only required to notify the center reff if a goalkeeper changes positions with someone on the field. Not at halftime, not during a legal sub opp with someone on the side lines. The situation didnt pass the idiot test for a reason.
The regular posters on this board have far more experience knowing and applying the laws than I do.
The discussion generated by the questions here are far more informative to me than simply grabbing a law book.

[IASocFan]

Since referees may keep the number of cautioned players, I can see a player cautioned in the first half, changing shirts, and becoming the keeper or a field player in the second half. Since the first number was the number of record, I can see an issue with not catching a second half caution by the same player.

Therefore, if a team changes keepers at half time, they should check with the referee. As a referee, I frequently ask a team if they've changed keepers; sometimes I don't bother. In any case, I've never carded or stopped the game. I have instructed the keepers to get another shirt because it's too similar to the other team or his own team.

[Statesman]

The only reason the referee needs to be aware is to make sure the substitution is accounted for when there are sub limits. In youth soccer there are no limits so there is no reason for the referee to worry about giving permission. I believe USSF ATR states the referee starting the second half acts as an acknowledgement for all substitutions that have taken place during the break.

[refmike]

Since referees may keep the number of cautioned players, I can see a player cautioned in the first half, changing shirts, and becoming the keeper or a field player in the second half. Since the first number was the number of record, I can see an issue with not catching a second half caution by the same player.

Therefore, if a team changes keepers at half time, they should check with the referee. As a referee, I frequently ask a team if they've changed keepers; sometimes I don't bother. In any case, I've never carded or stopped the game. I have instructed the keepers to get another shirt because it's too similar to the other team or his own team.

This is a valid point. A cautioned player who becomes a keeper and then is cautioned again could easily escape a send-off. The best way to prevent this is to record the field number of the keeper and note when there has been a change. This, then, requires we be aware of goalkeeper changes whether informed by the coach or not.