A&H

Recoding Substitutions

Middle Man

Member
Level 4 Referee
Just wonder what methods people have of recording substitutions during a game. At the moment, I have a list of the subs names and numbers and as a player comes on, I just tick their name. The disadvantage of this method is that the player departing is not recorded but, he departing player is not required in the format of my match card.
 
The Referee Store
That's OK if you're on your own, but there will come a point where you're senior AR and the referee will expect you to be able to tell him when a sub was made and who replaced who. Fortunately, at that level you should expect teamsheets well before KO.

I would usually only list the shirt numbers of those starting and then names & numbers of the subs. You can then check when they come on that the right player is wearing the right number, then I would just write that number and the time next to the number of the player coming off.
 
It depends on the competition requirements. A parks game with repeated subs will only need you to record which subs were used, this is important as if they didn't come on at any point they are not deemed to have taken part in the game, and this affects things like cup tie rules, suspensions, playing down rules, etc.

Whereas if you have an FA competition this will require you to detail who a substitute replaced and at what time in the game.
 
Just wonder what methods people have of recording substitutions during a game. At the moment, I have a list of the subs names and numbers and as a player comes on, I just tick their name. The disadvantage of this method is that the player departing is not recorded but, he departing player is not required in the format of my match card.
So why not write the number of the departing player instead of ticking?
 
So why not write the number of the departing player instead of ticking?
Tick is only required for the substitute used on my league match card.

I had a game last night and varied it up a bit by writing the full squad and numbers for each team in my match pad and as a player came off I put an X beside their name and a tick beside the player coming on. No harm knowing the player that departed in any game I guess!

The only thing that isn’t recorded in the method that I used last night is the exact swap or the time of the change. I might need to refine it a bit more as I’d like to keep my method for every game and not have to change it for national competitions.
 
Not required by my league so you are correct in saying it is not a disadvantage at the moment, but as I said, I want to get a method that I don’t have to change for bigger games that do require detail of time and the number of the departing player.
 
In australia we just record the numbers at events, not the names. So I'd have 4 columns in my notebook where I put the subs. It would look like

2 | 34 | 7 | 18
2nd half, 34th minute, 7 off 8 on. Easy.

I ended up using write-on card which has a section for this bit anyway.
Fortunately we didn't have to bother recording if subs were used in games with unlimited subs.

If i had the numbers of the subs beforehand, I'd prefill that data
 
It will vary depending in what you are expected to record and report. In the leagues and competitions I cover I am only required to confirm which of the listed subs have been used. I'll list all names in my book pre-match with the subs identified. As and when subs are used I'll put a tick beside the oncoming player and a cross against the departing player. I've not required to report who replaced who or the time.
 
another thing that should be firmly removed to the fifa bin of stupid ideas where silver/golden goal now lives
 
Absolutely. Imagine your league operates a "3 from 5" substitute system. And imagine that you are the 4th or 5th choice sub on a regular basis - surely at some point you're going to stop turning up. Roll-on-roll-off allows the manager to play you without having to commit to that decision for the rest of the match, meaning you're more likely to get on the pitch. It means he can lat you on the pitch when things are going well, knowing he can withdraw you if the balance starts to swing the other way. It means everyone who turns up can get to play, as opposed to 3 from 5 that means 2 player potentially turn up in order to do a bit of a warm up and then stand in the cold in kit for 90 minutes watching their mates play.

Now imagine that you are a reserve GK who can do bits outfield, or someone coming back from injury who wants a 30-minute run-out without the risk of leaving his team short/down a sub if the injury flares up. All of these are more possible with roll-on-roll-off than with irreversible subs.
 
Yes. Came in as I was finishing off my amateur career in my local league. Those that used to be a named sub and never got on or only got a couple.of mins at the end get more minutes as they can be brought on and off at will. Also means that subs arent stood around for 80 mins freezing (especially important for kids), u can just bring them off and on to make sure they stay warm. Also means managers can make subs without worrying about injuries after the 3rd sub has been made. I think it works very well and I've yet to meet a player or manager who disagrees. Refs don't like it but the game is more important than us
 
because a referee needs an a4 size notebook to record them unless they are not doing tbe proper substitution procedure
and coaches can break up the game every 2 minutes
 
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