Be the Referee: 40-Second Play Clock
August 29, 2019
This week, MHSAA Assistant Director Brent Rice explains the change in football to a 40-second play clock.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment - 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
One of the rules changes in high school football this year involves timing between downs.
All varsity games will be played with a 40-second play clock that begins after the conclusion of the previous play, with exceptions for things like timeouts, penalties, measurements and at the start of a period – when a 25-second count will be used.
In experiments in Michigan over the past few seasons, the 40-second play clock proved to improve the pace of play and consistency between plays because it is not dependent on the referee’s subjective signal. And while some schools may choose to purchase visible play clocks for their fields, it is not required. The Back Judge, who has the primary responsibility for the play clock, will signal at 10 seconds and count the last five seconds.
Be the Referee: On the Line
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
January 10, 2023
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – On the Line - Listen
I’m on the line today … but am I in or out?
Have you ever stopped to think about how the boundary lines of a field or court mean different things in different sports?
In basketball for example, if the ball touches the baseline or sideline, it’s out of bounds. Same if a player is in possession of the ball and touches the line.
Football is the same. A player is out of bounds if that player has the ball and touches the sideline.
But in soccer? The ball is still in play until it completely passes the line. If the ball is sitting on the line, it’s still in play.
A tennis ball on the line? That’s in and a great shot.
Volleyball? Also in.
And then you have baseball and softball – where a batted ball that hits the foul line … is fair.
Know the lines and you’ll always know if you are in … or out.
Previous Editions:
Jan. 3: Basketball Measurements - Listen
Dec. 13: Pregame Dunks - Listen
Dec. 6: Gymnastics Judges - Listen
Nov. 22: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 15: Back Row Illegal Blocker - Listen
Nov. 8: Swim Turn Judges - Listen
Nov. 1: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
Oct. 25: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 18: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
Oct. 11: Safety in End Zone - Listen
Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change - Listen