[stoli]

Hi,
I'm doing some research, and greatly appreciate help on the following questions.
"Substitution rules state that 3 players can be substituted per team, Does anyone know when this rule was implemented?"
"Was it ever before a two player per team substitution rule?"

Million Thanks for Your Help

[Alberto]

Originally posted by stoli
Hi,
I'm doing some research, and greatly appreciate help on the following questions.
"Substitution rules state that 3 players can be substituted per team, Does anyone know when this rule was implemented?"
"Was it ever before a two player per team substitution rule?"

Million Thanks for Your Help

In 1995 FIFA issued a Memorandum allowing 3 subsititutes per side from 2.

[kevbrunton]

I looked at the FIFA website and there is a section called Milestones under the Laws of the Games section. http://www.fifa.com/refs/laws/milestones/index_E.html

On the main page, it gives some very general milestones from 1580 through 1937-38. Then it also gives a list of amendments passed to the laws broken down by decade for the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's.

In the 1970's there were no amendments regarding substitutions.

In the 1980's there were are couple mentions of substitutes (in 1981 and in 1986) but nothing about a change in the number. 1981 mentions allowing a substitute for an injury. 1986 just clarifies at what point a substitute is considered a player.

Does this mean that prior to 1981 you couldn't substitute at all but beginning in 1981 you could substitute for an injured player?

Then in 1988 we have this:

Law III - Number of players:
Substitutes may be used under the rules of any official competition under the jurisdiction of FIFA, Confederations or National Associations, ...
...a team shall not be permitted to use more than two substitutes from more than five players...

Does anyone know what changed here? Was this the change that now allowed up to 2 substitutes for any reason. Also, these subs must come from 5 named players, so the roster size at that time must have been 16. Or had you been allowed to use 2 subs prior to 1988 and this was simply limiting the game day roster size?

Then in 1994, the law was modified for 2 + 1 -- A team may also use a 3rd substitute provided that substitute is for the goalkeeper.

Then in 1995 (as Alberto pointed out), the law was modified to allow up to 3 substitutes without restrictions to position.

There is no mention in these abbreviated amendments when the roster size was expanded from 16 to 18, but in 1996, there is a change that says that the rules of competition may state how many substitutions are allowed, from 3 up to 7 -- so there was apparently 18 players permitted at this point.

Anyone aware of any information prior to the 1970's or perhaps some more detailed text from the laws around the time of these changes?

I'll do a little more looking and if I find something, I'll post it.

[kevbrunton]

I did find another site.

http://www.ifhof.com/wn/history.asp

This one starts in the "Early 1800's" and goes up to 1966. There's no mention of substitutes anywhere in that timeframe and there's some detail in the way the laws were changed. A couple items of note:

1848: Cambridge Rules: drawn up by 14 representatives from various public schools.

1863 -- the Football Association was formed Nov 10 and at a meeting on Dec 8, they adopt 14 rules.

1898 -- the Number of Official Laws reaches the modern number of 17.

1938 -- 17 laws of the game redrafted into their modern form.

[XYZ]

I assume, prior to 1932, no subs at all.

1932 - first mentioned allowing limited substitutions in international matches if mutually agreed upon.

1956 - change to permit the replacement of an incapacitated goalkeeper and one other incapacitated player at any time during the first half - but only in youth tournaments

1958 - the rule mentioned above was extended to include all levels of play. Prior to this time substitutions had been prohibited at the highest level of play.

1965 - the number of players a team could designate as possible substitutes increased to 5, but the number of subs allowed remained 2.

1967 - two substitutes allowed for any reason, not just for injury.

information from The World Encyclopedia of Soccer by Henshaw and LaBlanc, 1994