Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2015 January 6

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January 6

Making a substitution without a break

Normally in a sport,a substitution is made when there is a break in play(the ball goes out of the pitch,there is a foul etc.) What happens if a team wants to make a substitution and there is no break? I suppose the manager could order one of his team to put the ball out,but if the teams just keep moving up and down the pitch,swapping possession,then what can be done? Lemon martini (talk) 13:49, 6 January 2015 (UTC) (who spent 20 minutes on FIFA'07 trying to get his little man to join the action whilst they all played keepy-uppy in the middle!)

You can substitute in the middle of the action in ice hockey, but I'm not sure if there are any other sports where it can be done. Teams in possession of the ball can deliberately cause a stoppage in play if they badly need to make a substitution (at the cost of losing possession). If not, you are right that in football (soccer), there isn't much you can do if you want to make a substitution but cannot wrest control of the ball from the opposite team. Most you can do is pressure them into making a mistake like kicking the ball out of bounds. Keeping control of the ball to prevent the opposing team from making a tactical move is another form of running out the clock and it is a valid strategy, even though it's frustrating. --Xuxl (talk) 14:44, 6 January 2015 (UTC)

In football, substitutions usually occur for one of two reasons. Either a player is injured and needs to be replaced, or the manager wants to make a change in the line-up. There will always be a break in play in the first situation, so that's not a problem. In the second situation, the manager just waits until there is a break (usually a throw-in) to make the substitution. Tactical substitutions are not so urgent that they can't wait for the next break in play (which, as football's detractors are quick to point out, happen fairly frequently). --Viennese Waltz 15:06, 6 January 2015 (UTC)

"Always" is a strong word Viennese Waltz - officially there is only a break in play in football (soccer) for injury IF the referee deams it to be a head injury or a particularly severe one that needs urgent medical attention, or a player deliberatly kicks the ball out of play to force a break... If the injury is deemed not a head injury, or not severe, then play is expected to continue... The fans generally start booing if the opposition DON'T put the ball out, but officially play can continue until the referee stops it or some form of natural break occurs (out of play, foul, end of half etc)... gazhiley 12:30, 7 January 2015 (UTC)

Other sports with substitutions during play: Handball#Team players, substitutes, and officials. Futsal#Players, equipment and officials. In some sports the coach or players can call a limited number of time-outs. I guess a time-out will not be used for the sole purpose of making a substitution but it might be a contributing factor in the timing. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:18, 6 January 2015 (UTC)

Rugby League also permits free-flowing substitution during play. --Dweller (talk) 12:54, 9 January 2015 (UTC)

Short story - Australian rules football at the highest level has a capped number of interchanges (three players can leave the field and freely return) and a single substitution (one nominated player who can permanently replace one member of the rest of the team) which can occur at any time with the approval of an off-field official. Hack (talk) 14:38, 12 January 2015 (UTC)