Every good thing must come to an end. This includes the most exciting soccer games.
In truth, many fans do not want a game of soccer to end. Soccer is not only an enjoyable sport but also an escape from many realities that they deal with outside the stadium.
But everything that has a beginning must have an end. In soccer games, that end is called FULL TIME, often abbreviated to FT.
In this article, you will be educated on the concept of full time in soccer and getting answers to the question, “What does FT mean in soccer?”.
Keep reading.
What Does FT Stand for in Soccer?
FT in soccer stands for Full Time, as already stated.
Timing in the sport is overseen by a group of officials known as the referees.
There is a chief referee who is referred to as the main official. This person takes center stage on the field of play with the players and is distinguishable from them by the color of his jersey.
This person enforces the sport’s rules from his vantage point in the game. All of this is done within a 90-minute time frame – broken down into two halves of 45 minutes each – which he monitors.
The main official starts the game with a single whistle blow, calls for halftime with two blasts, and calls for full-time after 90 minutes with three or two long blasts.
Stoppage Time: What It Is and Why It’s Used?
You see, soccer is a contact sport. Bodies slam into other bodies while trying to chase down the ball to score goals.
Some of these contacts may result in stoppages within the regular 90-minute time frame that the sport is played and unlike basketball or several other time-based sports, the clock does not stop.
When these stoppages occur, players lose key seconds or even minutes that could have changed the game. To balance this out, the game’s overlords introduced Stoppage Time.
The referees calculate the seconds and minutes in which the ball was not in play and add it to the end of each half to give both teams the equal opportunity they need to win the game.
Way to be equitable, right?
Factors Contributing to Stoppage Time
Three main factors contribute to stoppage time:
Physical Clashes
As a contact sport, players bumping into each other at full speed is unavoidable. As humans, some of these clashes may be too tough to shake off immediately, which leads to a stoppage.
Substitutions
Some of these clashes may force a substitution because one or both players end up injured. Sometimes, managers just feel like changing things up with the introduction of another player, which forces a stoppage.
Ball Out of Play
Goalkicks, corner kicks, and throw-ins are situations when the ball goes out of play. The few seconds or minutes it takes for the ball to come back into play are factored into stoppage time.
Other factors are referee equipment malfunction, team goal celebrations, or extreme cases like player-fan kerfuffles.
The Calculation and Announcement of Stoppage Time
Note that Stoppage Time, while officially recognised, does not mean a football game is seen as anything but a 90-minute affair.
No matter how many minutes the clock runs into, the idea remains to give both teams EXACTLY 90 minutes of action on the field.
Stoppage Time is announced by the fourth official, who stands on the sidelines to watch the benches of both teams. The fourth official has two watches: one which is stopped every time there’s a break in play and another which runs to document how many seconds or minutes the play was stopped.
Before this official announces the extra time added, all the officials must agree. Then, the fourth official raises an electronic board to announce how many minutes will be added to either half.
The Impact of Stoppage Time
Stoppage Time has no impact on Full Time in soccer as stated earlier. No matter what, soccer is always seen as a 90-minute affair.
However, stoppage time impacts soccer teams. This impact on the teams is seen in the following ways:
Added Pressure
Thanks to every stoppage, the winning team realizes they have to do extra defensive work to stop a turnaround. The losing team also realizes they have lost momentum in their push for a win. This is why you sometimes see players hostile to their opponents who go down after a clash.
Increased Fatigue
Soccer is a demanding sport in which 22 men constantly chase after each other on a large playing surface. The more time they spend doing this, the more fatigue they experience.
Final Thoughts
Every good thing must come to an end, including the most exciting soccer games. Full-time in soccer helps coaches, teams, and fans catch their breaths and reset for the next game.
Now that you understand its concept, you can surely get behind how important it is to the sport.
