2019 NFHS Rules Changes

TWO TIMES THE CHARM (but only in high school)

Y'know that "twice out" penalty corner rule for ending extended time and suspensions that used to be part of the Rules of Hockey? Well, just when you thought it was safe to fahgettaboudit, the NFHS rules book makes sure you can't -- at least not this year. It's even highlighted as part of what would otherwise be an overall improvement to the verbiage covering penalty corners that take place during extended play (page 44 and 45).

This gives us yet another year with a GCRD (Game Changing Reaction Difference) hanging over our heads like a dark cloud when jumping between high school and college games -- and yet another reason that will confuse players, coaches, and fans.

Imagine an umpire doing an NFHS game on Saturday at noon. At the end of the first and second half there's a penalty corner in their end and each time the umpire gets to sound the final whistle because the ball left the circle a second time (those are both good things). Then, that evening at a college game between two rivals, there's an extended time penalty corner at the end of the fourth quarter. There is excitement in the air because the score is tied. The ball comes out a second time and the umpire whistles (that's a bad thing). To make matters worse, the whistle sounds just as an attacker pops the ball back into the circle and gets off a rocket that thunders off the bottom boards!!!!

Have you been umpiring long enough to remember the GCRD when college and club defenders could stop a ball using their stick above their shoulders while at the same time it was a yellow card and a penalty stroke in NFHS games?

It's one thing to "complain" how there are NFHS administrative differences (like cards to coaches) from the NCAA modifications but it's serious when a GCRD is involved and jobs are on the line.

Umpiring is hard work and its hard to get umpires to cover all the games that are available. Any GCRDs restrict the number of umpires even more because GCRDs reduce the number of umpires that are willing to jump between NFHS and NCAA games.

Is anyone thinking, "Stop trying to make GCRD happen?"

HOMEWORK: How is play restarted if there is an inadvertent whistle during a penalty corner in a college game? Is that the same as high school?

PLAY BALL

On a lighter note, the NFHS finally agrees with the FIH that "playing distance" is NOT a 5-yard distance. Yup. That was a thing in the NFHS. Previously the NFHS said that "playing distance" was a minimum of 5 yards (page 65 in 2018).

ATTACKERS DON'T MATTER

More good news from the NFHS is a massive change to how attacking free hits inside the 25 are allowed to be executed. One way the restarter could meet the NFHS's Indirect Circle Entry (ICE) requirements, is to dribble the ball 5 yards (in a straight line, in a circle, or zigging and zagging and ending up where they started). Another way was for either an attacking teammate or defender to touch the ball before it entered the circle.

A slick play, therefore, was for the restarter to send an anemic pass towards a teammate who was at least five yards away. The attacking teammate rushed to receive the pass after it had only move a foot or less and smashed the ball into the circle. That was a perfectly legal play but, it completely undermined the very reason for having ICE requirements in the first place. Danger often ensued or a "lucky" foot was found inside the circle and brought about a cheap penalty corner.

This year, attacking free hits inside the 25 can no longer be played into the circle until the ball has amassed a dribbling distance of 5 yards or it is played by a defender (page 41). As you'll see in the rule, a second attacker is no longer a way to get the ball into the circle unless and until the ball has been moved at least 5 yards (by any number of attackers). So, I could dribble one yard, pass two yards to you, and you could put the ball into the circle AFTER you dribbled another two yards (see how we got 5-yards in that scenario?).

Given that we only have a dozen things to consider with every attacking free hit inside the 25, this is a good way in which the NFHS agreed to match the Rules of Hockey (no GCRD).

HOMEWORK: Speaking of free hits inside the 25, a defending team is taking a free hit for a foul by the attack inside the circle. The breach happened on the bench side of the circle. The defender picks up the ball in their hand and runs past the goalkeeper, over to the other side of the circle, puts it down, and restarts play. That's allowed in college and club games. Is it allowed in games governed by the NFHS?

JEDI MIND TRICK. "THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE HERE"

The rule requiring that goggles be permanently marked with "F2713" by this year's season has been put off until 2020.

HOMEWORK: Name the Jedi who said that?

SITUATION MISTAKE

Last year the NFHS had a situation (1.7.2.C on page 18) that wrongly told umpires they couldn't give a card and award a penalty corner award for an intentional foul by a defender who is outside the circle but inside the 25 (it is corrected this year).

They have, however, done it again this year (on page 47), demonstrating an apparent lack of understanding of the whole deliberate defender foul outside-the-circle-and-inside-the-25 thing.

10.3.1 states, "A White Team player is awarded a penalty corner. The ball is inserted and travels just outside the circle. A Purple Team player hits the stick of the person receiving the ball. The official awards another penalty corner."

What do you think? Proper or improper ruling? Could be a penalty corner for an intentional foul outside the circle and inside the 25 -- especially given that the defender fouled the player with the ball. Maybe a card too? Or, a simple foul and award a free hit for the attack, right?

Well, in this case the NFHS said that the ruling of awarding a penalty corner is wrong and that, "The foul occurred outside the circle so the White Team is awarded a free hit at the spot of the foul."

HOMEWORK: If you get a chance, please introduce the NFHS to a little thing called Rule 10.1.1.b., that states (on page 43...of the NFHS rules book!) that a penalty corner is awarded when, "The defense commits a deliberate foul inside the 25-yard line, but outside the circle."

WHAT HASN'T CHANGED

The NFHS still allow for simultaneous fouls (page 38) though, umpires really should decide who fouled first. I think the last time I saw a simultaneous foul was when I wasn't a very good umpire. Back then, I saw almost everything was a simultaneous foul.

HINT: If you see a lot of simultaneous fouls, you might decide that the first one you see is going right and the next one is going left, and then right, then left, etc.

The NFHS still requires you to call a timeout when carding. Worse, rather than point-swipe-and-show card, the NFHS guidance (page 68) still has you beckon (their word) the player towards you and specifies that the player walks two-thirds of the way and the official walks one third. The good news is, it doesn't say that umpires are supposed to lecture of players (we've probably all seen umpires seemingly explaining quantum physics to players being carded).

HOMEWORK: Ask a few teams in your area how much time they're practicing walking two-thirds of the way to the umpire?

THINGS TO REMEMBER IN THE DAYS OF SEPTEMBER

1. Team timeouts begin when you stop the clock. They don't begin after the players have walked off the field, grabbed their water bottles, and are finally, actually, in a team huddle. The clock should be restarted 90-seconds after the clock was stopped. THAT is a 90-second timeout. The coach of a team not ready after a team timeout is over is to be carded (NFHS Rule 4.2.Penalties, page 27: "Failure of a team to be ready to play at the end of a time-out ... shall be considered misconduct by the coach and penalized accordingly.")

2. The sideline is INSIDE the field of play. When a foul happens within playing distance of the sideline the ball often rolls out of bounds and many times the retrieved ball is placed on the sideline. Under such a circumstance, there is no reason for umpires to stall play to make the attack first move the ball away from the sideline. As just noted, the sideline is part of the playing surface, it isn't outside the field of play. (NFHS 9.1.1, page 41: "All free hits are taken within playing distance of the spot where the foul occurred.")

3. If your meeting before the game with the captains and the coaches has surpassed the 90-seconds mark, even with a sportsmanship announcement, you're probably wasting everyone's time and boring the fans. Don't take even more time to hold the meeting out in the middle of the field...

Hold the meeting at the benches as soon you both arrive and finish inspecting the field. At the meeting, stand like teammates (shoulder-to-shoulder) and use the VNIC protocol (each umpire gets two letters so it doesn't look like one is subordinate to the other)...

Verify - Have coaches verify their players are legally equipped and dressed

Names - Write down the captains and use them during the game

Inspection Report - Line colors, things noticed when inspecting the field

Coin - Flip the coin and get going!

If you have to read a sportsmanship statement, do it first. If you're doing a college game, drop the V and just remember NIC.