Question Number: 23786

Law 3 - Number of Players 8/16/2010

RE: comp. Adult

mel of parkes, nsw australia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 22861

If a game is abandoned and has to be replayed, does the same team have to play or can new players be introduced for the rematch?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

This might be covered by the rules of the competition. However I suspect that there is nothing specific about replayed games. Rather, you'd only find your eligibility requirements (age, gender, registration procedures, etc). Most likely, if a person was eligible to be a player in the original match, he would be eligible in the rematch, regardless of whether the player was actually in the first game or not.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mel
The refixed game would be a new match and as a result the team would be able to field new players that are eligible to play or who were unable to play in the last game because of injury. A player who was sent off in the original match would not be eligible to play unless he served his suspension nor indeed would the abandoned game count as a game towards a suspension.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

This is something we as referees have no say or interest in other than cursory. The rules of the competition will dictate procedure though I imagine neither team would be allowed to recruit new players that were not already on the roster and players on the roster but absent at the game for whatever reason would be allowed to participate (unless forbidden due to receiving a red card that made them ineligible for the initial game). But, again, not our business.