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Free substitution or rolling substitution is a rule in some
sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
s that allows players to enter and leave the game for other players many times during the course of a game, generally during a time-out or other break in live play; and for
coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
to bring in and take out players an unlimited number of times. In other sports, limited substitution restricts the manner in which players can be replaced.


Sports that allow free substitution


Sports that allow unlimited substitution during live play

*
Beach soccer Beach soccer, also known as beach football, sand football or beasal, is a variant of association football played on a beach or some form of sand. Whilst football has been played informally on beaches, the introduction of ''beach soccer'' was an a ...
,
futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hardcourt, hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and Indoor soccer, indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players ...
and
indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor so ...
: Unlike standard association football, these variants of the sport allow for an unlimited number of substitutions during a match. Players may be substituted at any time, except for the
goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...
, who may only be substituted during a stoppage in play. In beach soccer, if a player is dismissed due to a red card, they may be replaced after at least two minutes has elapsed. In futsal and indoor soccer, if a player is dismissed due to a red card, they may not be replaced and their team will be short-handed for the rest of the match. *
Canoe polo Canoe polo, also known as kayak polo, is one of the competitive disciplines of kayaking. The sport is also known simply as "polo" by its players and supporters. Each team has five players on the pitch (and up to three substitutes), who compete t ...
: Per ICF rules, players may be substituted at any time, however players who have
capsized Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fro ...
may not be substituted until the next break in play, unless the capsized player is still able to make it back to the substitution area unaided. Players who receive a yellow card are excluded for two minutes and cannot be substituted, and players who receive a red card are ejected and cannot be replaced for the rest of the match. *
Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
: Any number of players may be substituted at any point in the game, except for players serving a suspension. If a player receives a red card and is disqualified from the match, they cannot be replaced until two minutes has elapsed. Junior handball competitions organized by some countries' governing bodies may only allow substitutions while in possession of the ball or during timeouts. In
beach handball Beach handball is a team sport where two teams pass and bounce or roll a ball, trying to throw it in the goal of the opposing team. The game is similar to standard handball, but it is played on sand instead of on a solid floor. Because the ball ...
, when players are suspended or disqualified from the game, they may be replaced by their team immediately after the next change in possession. *
Hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
: In general, most forms of hockey allow for free substitution at any time except during specific situations. Practically every form of hockey uses a
penalty box The penalty box or sin bin (sometimes called the bad box, or simply bin or box) is the area in ice hockey, rugby union, rugby league, roller derby and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offence not ...
or equivalent and in all forms, players who are serving a penalty or suspension may not be substituted until after their penalty or suspension is complete. Furthermore, all of the forms of hockey listed below permit teams to pull their goaltender and replace them with another player who is not a goaltender in order to gain an
extra attacker An extra attacker in ice hockey and ringette is a forward or, less commonly, a defenceman who has been substituted in place of the goaltender. The purpose of this substitution is to gain an offensive advantage to score a goal. The removal of the ...
. **
Bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...
: Players may be substituted at any time except during corner strokes. If a player is sent off due to a red card, they may not be replaced and their team will be short-handed for the rest of the match. **
Broomball Broomball is a both a recreational and organized competitive winter sport, winter team sport played on ice or snow and is played either indoors or outdoors, depending on climate and location. It is a ball sport and is most popularly played in Ca ...
: Players may be substituted at any time. **
Field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting c ...
: Players may be substituted at any time except during a
penalty corner In field hockey, a penalty corner, sometimes known as a short corner, is a penalty given against the defending team. It is predominantly awarded for a defensive infringement in the '' penalty circle'' or for a deliberate infringement within the de ...
. If a player is sent off due to a red card, they may not be replaced and their team will be short-handed for the rest of the match. These rules also apply to
indoor field hockey Indoor hockey is an indoor variant of field hockey. It is similar to the outdoor game in that two teams compete to move a hard ball into the goal of the opposing side using hockey sticks. Indoor hockey is played on a smaller area and between sm ...
. **
Floor hockey Floor hockey is a broad term for several indoor floor game codes which involve two teams using a stick and type of ball or disk. Disks are either open or closed but both designs are usually referred to as "pucks". These games are played either o ...
and roller hockey: Most variants of floor hockey and roller hockey, including the official rules of ball hockey,
floorball Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. Men and women play indoors with sticks and a plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three twenty-minute periods. The sport of bandy also played a role ...
,
inline hockey Roller inline hockey, or inline hockey is a variant of hockey played on a hard, smooth surface, with players using inline skates to move and ice hockey sticks to shoot a hard, plastic puck into their opponent's goal to score points. The sport ...
, and
quad hockey Roller hockey (in British English), rink hockey (in American English) or quad hockey is a team sport played on roller skates. It is the only quad skate team sport in existence where two teams face-off against one another at the same time. Two t ...
, allow players to be substituted at any time. **
Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
: Players may be substituted at any time, with a couple of exceptions: First, if a player ices the puck, or if a player dislodges their own team's goalposts, then the offending player's team in either instance may not make any changes until after the ensuing face-off. Second, if the goaltender leaves the ice in favor of a sixth skater at any time during
overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...
, the goal must remain empty until the next stoppage of play. Almost all professional ice hockey teams use up to four
lines Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...
of forwards and three pairings of defensemen in rotation during any given game. **
Ringette Ringette is a non-contact winter team sport played on ice hockey rinks using ice hockey skates, straight sticks with drag-tips, and a blue, rubber, pneumatic ring designed for use on ice surfaces. The sport is among a small number of organiz ...
: Players may be substituted at any time except during a goaltender ring (similar to a
goal kick A goal kick is a method of restarting the play in a game of association football. Its procedure is dictated by Law 16 of the Laws of the Game. Award A goal kick is awarded to the defending team when the ball goes out of the field of play by cro ...
in association football). **
Underwater hockey Underwater hockey (UWH), (also known as Octopush in the United Kingdom) is a globally played limited-contact sport in which two teams compete to manoeuvre a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into the opposing team's goal by propelling ...
: Players may be substituted at any time and players who are dismissed from the game may not be replaced, leaving their team short-handed for the rest of the match. Underwater hockey is unique among hockey codes in that there is no goaltender position, so the above rules about pulling the goaltender are not applicable. *
Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...
: Both
field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...
and
box lacrosse Box lacrosse, also known as boxla, box, or indoor lacrosse, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada in the 1930s, where it is more popular than field lacrosse. Lacrosse is Canada's officia ...
allow for players to be substituted at any time during the game and substitutions happen frequently in both codes. At collegiate and professional levels of field lacrosse, it is a common strategy for the team with possession of the ball to substitute defensive players with offensive players while they move the ball up the field from their defending zone into their attacking zone, and for the defending team to substitute their offensive players with defensive ones as they are pushed back into their defending zone. In box lacrosse, it is more common for teams to have lines similar to ice hockey, with professional box lacrosse teams typically having three lines of forwards and three pairings of defensemen. Like hockey and handball, lacrosse players who are serving a penalty may not be substituted. * Quadball: Teams have unlimited substitutions, however substitutions may ''only'' be made during live play: substitution during stoppages is not allowed except to replace an injured or ejected player. Players in the penalty box may not be substituted, and players who receive a red card and are ejected from the game may be replaced after two minutes. *
Touch rugby Touch rugby refers to games derived from rugby football in which players do not tackle each other but instead touch their opponents using their hands on any part of the body, clothing, or the ball. A formal, competitive variety, known as Tou ...
: Called ''interchanges'' in touch, teams may freely interchange players at any time, with the one exception being that when there is a change in possession due to an intercept, neither team may interchange players until the next stoppage of play. Players in the
sin bin The penalty box or sin bin (sometimes called the bad box, or simply bin or box) is the area in ice hockey, rugby union, rugby league, roller derby and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offence n ...
may not be interchanged, and players who are dismissed from the game may not be replaced and their team must play short-handed.


Sports that allow unlimited substitutions during stoppages of play only

*
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
: Basketball allows for unlimited substitution of players at most dead ball scenarios, with two main exceptions: First, players may not be substituted before a
free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...
. Second, substitutions are generally not permitted after a successful
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ball ...
, although some leagues and organizations may allow substitutions after field goals during the last few minutes of the game only. Players are allowed to go out and come in again any number of times, unless they are disqualified or
ejected Ejection or Eject may refer to: * Ejection (sports), the act of officially removing someone from a game * Eject (''Transformers''), a fictional character from ''The Transformers'' television series * "Eject" (song), 1993 rap rock single by Senser ...
, and substitutions happen frequently. These rules also apply to
3x3 basketball 3x3 basketball (pronounced ''three-ex-three'') is a variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one backboard and in a half-court setup. According to an ESSEC Business School study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee, 3x3 ...
. *
Dodgeball Dodgeball is a team sport in which players on two teams try to throw balls and hit opponents, while avoiding being hit themselves. The objective of each team is to eliminate all members of the opposing team by hitting them with thrown balls, cat ...
: Per
World Dodgeball Federation The World Dodgeball Federation, also known as WDBF, is the world governing body for the sport of dodgeball. Amongst its responsibilities are to run the Dodgeball World Championship since 2012. History Formed in 2011, the organisation sought to un ...
rules, players may be freely substituted between each set. If a player is injured during a set, they may only be replaced if their team calls a timeout. Players who receive a red card and are ejected may not be replaced and their team will play short-handed for the rest of the match. Amateur and recreational rules may vary. *
Fistball Fistball is a sport of European origin, primarily played in the German-speaking nations of Austria, Germany and Switzerland, as well as in Brazil. The objective of the game is similar to volleyball, in that teams try to hit a ball over a net ...
: Players may be freely substituted between rallies, or mid-rally if a referee makes a stoppage of play. Players serving a suspension may not be substituted and players who are disqualified by a referee may not be replaced and their team will be short-handed for the rest of the match. *
Gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...
: Players can be changed during any
dead ball Dead ball is a term in many ball sports in which the ball is deemed temporarily not playable, and no movement may be made with it or the players from their respective positions of significance. Depending on the sport, this event may be quite rout ...
situation. Most college and pro football teams use 11 completely different players on offense and defense. Often, substitution is made depending on the play being run; for example, a team might bring in a fullback or tailback for a rushing play, or several wide receivers for a passing play. There are also major substitutions made for
special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...
plays such as punting or kicking a field goal. Players cannot be substituted during live ball play; if a player leaves the field during play without being forced, the player cannot return or be replaced until the next play. (Historically, gridiron-based codes had a
one-platoon system The one-platoon system, also known as iron man football, is a platoon system in American football where players play on both offense and defense. It was the result of smaller roster sizes in the early days of the game and rules that limited player ...
in place that required all players to play all phases of the game. The one-platoon system was largely abolished in the 1940s but aspects of it remained in force in college football until the 1960s, at which time total free substitution was implemented.) *
Polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small ha ...
: Teams may freely substitute both players and
ponies A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...
(horses) between each chukka, as long as no handicap rules are violated. Polo rosters contain between four to eight players, and teams are required to have at least two ponies per player, although at the higher levels of the sport, it is common for teams to have many more. Players who have been ejected from the game due to a red card may be replaced after two minutes. *
Roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Game play consists of a series of short scrimmages (jam ...
: Teams may freely substitute players between jams, except for players serving a penalty in the penalty box. If a player is expelled from the game during a jam, they may not substituted with another player until after the end of the jam. *
Tchoukball Tchoukball is an indoor team sport developed in the 1970s by Swiss biologist Hermann Brandt. Brandt was concerned about the number of injuries in sport at the time and as part of an educational study he wanted to create a sport that reduced in ...
: Teams may freely substitute players after every point. Players expelled from the game by a referee may be replaced. *
Ultimate Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album) * ''Ultimate'' (Pet Shop Boys album) *'' Ultimate!'', an album by The Yardbirds *'' The Ultimate (Bryan Adams Album)'', a compilat ...
: Per WFDF rules, teams are allowed unlimited substitutions after every goal. However, both the
American Ultimate Disc League American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
and
Premier Ultimate League The Premier Ultimate League (PUL) is a professional women's ultimate disc league that formed in 2019. The mission of the PUL is "to achieve equity in the sport of ultimate by increasing accessibility to the sport for, and visibility of women, tr ...
further allow teams to make unlimited substitutions during time-outs as well. *
Water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
: Water polo permits an unlimited number of substitutions, however, per
FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...
rules, rolling substitution during live play is only allowed in Olympic competitions. For all other matches, players may only be substituted during the interval between periods, after a goal, during a timeout, or to replace an injured player. Players serving an exclusion foul may not be substituted until the end of their foul and players who have been ejected from the game may not be replaced until at least four minutes have elapsed.


Sports with limited substitution


Sports that allow a limited number of substitutions

* Association football: Per
IFAB The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. IFAB was founded in 1886 to agree standardised Laws for international competition, and has since acted as the "guardia ...
rules, teams are allowed up to three substitutions per game, and players may only be substituted during a stoppage in play. Players who leave the game may not return, and if a team runs out of substitutions and loses a player due to injury or expulsion, they must play the rest of the game
short handed Short-handed is a term used in ice hockey and several related sports, including water polo, and refers to having fewer skaters (players) on the ice during play, as a result of a penalty. The player removed from play serves the penalty in the pe ...
. A fourth substitution during extra time was trialed by
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was foun ...
during the
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
and
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup was the eighth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international Women's association football championship contested by 24 women's national teams representing member associations of FIFA. It t ...
. At many amateur levels, unlimited substitution is allowed whenever the ball goes out of play.. *
Bat-and-ball games Bat-and-ball games (or safe haven games) are field games played by two opposing teams. Action starts when the defending team throws a ball at a dedicated player of the attacking team, who tries to hit it with a bat and run between various safe are ...
: In general, in most bat-and-ball games, including those listed here, new player(s) inherit the place in the batting order of the player(s) that they are replacing. **
Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
: In most baseball leagues, substitutions may be made during any dead-ball, and a player who is replaced by a substitute may not return to the game. Baseball does not have an explicit cap on the number of substitutions that can be made in a game, although in practice teams must adhere to roster limits and may not make more substitutions than the number of players the team has in reserve (often referred to as the bench, or the
bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...
regarding
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
s), which is usually the active roster limit minus the nine starters. Furthermore, in professional leagues, only players designated as pitchers on the team's active roster may substitute for other pitchers. Many youth baseball leagues, such as
Little League Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizationrecreational leagues allow for unlimited substitution. ***
Baseball5 Baseball5 (B5) is an internationally played safe haven game with many of the same rules as baseball and softball, which is governed alongside those sports by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). The game revolves around two teams ...
: Baseball5 rosters contain five starting players and three substitutes. Players in the starting line-up may re-enter the game only once, where they must take their original place in the batting order, whereas players outside the starting line-up who enter the game as substitutes may not re-enter the game after leaving it. Unlike baseball and softball, but similar to pesäpallo, substitution in B5 may only be made between innings or when teams switch sides, except in cases of injury. **
Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Han ...
: Per ISF rules, players in the starting line-up are allowed to re-enter the game only once after being substituted out and must take their original place in the batting order upon re-entry. Players outside the starting line-up who entered the game as substitutes may not re-enter the game after leaving, except as a replacement for an injured player. Like baseball, the number of substitutions a team can make is limited by the team's roster size, and also like baseball, substitutions in softball can be made during any dead-ball. Recreational softball leagues commonly play with unlimited substitution. **
Pesäpallo Pesäpallo (; sv, boboll, both names literally meaning "nest ball", colloquially known in Finnish as pesis, also referred to as Finnish baseball) is a fast-moving bat-and-ball sport that is often referred to as the national sport of Finland a ...
: Substitutions can only be made between each inning or half-inning, when teams switch sides, and may not be made during either the first inning or the super-inning (extra inning). Unlike in baseball and softball, a pesäpallo player may re-renter the game any number of times, but after leaving the game a player may only re-enter after at least two half-innings have passed, and players who have entered the game may only leave again after they have played at least two half-innings. Although there is no limit in the rules to the number of substitutions allowed, since pesäpallo rosters consist of nine players and three substitutes, and each player has to wait at-least two half-innings after leaving the game before they can be substituted back in, teams are functionally limited to a maximum of three substitutions per inning. * Curling: Although some amateur tournaments may not allow any form of substitution, at the higher levels of the sport teams are usually allowed to designate a fifth member of the team as an alternate who may be substituted at any point during a game for any other team-member except for the
skip Skip or Skips may refer to: Acronyms * SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene * Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol * SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aiding ...
. Once a player has been substituted, they cannot return to the game, giving curling a limit of one substitution per game. * Gaelic sports: In all Gaelic sports, substitutions may only be made during a stoppage of play. **
Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
and
hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
: Per
Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
rules, which govern most matches, teams are allowed a maximum of five substitutions per game, with an additional three allowed during extra time. However, the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
and
National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the league system. ...
allow teams to make a total of seven substitutions per match, but still only five ''opportunities'' for substitutions, meaning the first and second double-substitutions that a team makes during a match will each only be counted as one substitution instead of two. In both sports, teams are only allowed to replace a maximum of three ejected players during a match, after which they must play short-handed. Like rugby union, gaelic football and hurling both allow an unlimited number of temporary "blood substitutions" (see the rugby union rules below), however, unlike rugby union, GAA rules do not specify a time limit for the temporary substitution. Players who have left the match may not re-enter the game, except to serve as a temporary substitution. These rules all also apply to
camogie Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men only ...
, except camogie allows for five substitutions during extra time instead of three. **
Shinty Shinty ( gd, camanachd, iomain) is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread in Scotland, an ...
: Teams are allowed a maximum a three substitutions each match, however players who have left the game may re-enter it. In a
composite rules shinty–hurling Composite rules shinty–hurling ( ga, Rialacha chomhréiteach sinteag-iomáint)—sometimes known simply as shinty–hurling—is a hybrid sport which was developed to facilitate international matches between shinty players and hurling players ...
match, teams are allowed a maximum of four substitutions per match. *
Gateball is a mallet team sport inspired by croquet. It is a fast-paced, non-contact, highly strategic team game, which can be played by anyone regardless of age or gender. Gateball is most popular in China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, with ...
: Teams consist of five players and three substitutes. Players be substituted at any time, but once they have been substituted, they may not return to the game. Players who are ejected may not be replaced and their team must play short-handed for the rest of the match. *
Korfball Korfball ( nl, korfbal) is a ball sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. It is played by two teams of eight players with four female players and four male players in each team. The objective is to throw a ball into a netless baske ...
: Teams are allowed a maximum of eight substitutions per game and substitutions can only happen during stoppages of play, however players that have left the game may be substituted back in any number of times. If teams have already used their maximum number of substitutions, they may gain permission from the referee for additional substitutions in the cases of injury and/or players being ejected from the game. *
Rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league. Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...
: Substitutions are more commonly referred to as ''replacements'' or ''interchanges'' in rugby. In all rugby codes, players serving a penalty in the
sin bin The penalty box or sin bin (sometimes called the bad box, or simply bin or box) is the area in ice hockey, rugby union, rugby league, roller derby and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offence n ...
may not be substituted, and players who have been permanently ejected from the game may not be replaced, leaving their team short-handed for the rest of the match. **
Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
: In rugby league, interchanges may only be made during a stoppage of play, and not during
play-the-ball Like most forms of modern football, rugby league football is played outdoors on a rectangular grass field with goals at each end that are to be attacked and defended by two opposing teams. The Laws of rugby league, rules of rugby league have cha ...
, however players who have been substituted out may re-enter the game at a later time. Teams have a maximum of eight interchanges per match (10 in the
NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
). Players who are replaced due to injury count towards the limit, however referees may award a team a free interchange if the injury is the result of a foul made by the other team. **
Rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
: Players may only be substituted during a stoppage in play and players who leave the game may not return, except to replace an injured player. Rugby union differentiates between ''tactical replacements'', when a player is substituted by the coach for strategic reasons, and ''blood replacements'', when a player is temporarily substituted while they leave the game to seek medical attention. If the injured player who left the game does not return after 15 minutes, the blood replacement is ruled to have become a tactical replacement. Professional and international rugby union allows for a maximum of eight tactical replacements per match, and an unlimited number of temporary blood replacements, although in practice it is rare to see more than one or two blood replacements per match. In amateur rugby, the number of allowed tactical replacements is usually lower due to smaller roster sizes. *** Rugby sevens: The substitution rules for seven-a-side rugby are in general very similar to those of rugby union. Under the official
World Rugby World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...
rules used at most international tournaments, teams are allowed up to three tactical replacements per match, however a variant rule allowing for up to five tactical replacements per match is commonly used at amateur tournaments and during some international friendlies. *
Sepak takraw Sepak takraw, or Sepaktakraw, also called kick volleyball, is a team sport played with a ball made of rattan or synthetic plastic between two teams of two to four players on a court resembling a badminton court. It is similar to volleyball and ...
: Teams, usually referred to as ''regus'', are allowed up to two substitutions per set, and changes that are made between sets are counted towards the limit for the upcoming set. Substitutions may be made during any stoppage of time, and a player who has been substituted out may re-enter again. If a regu has already used all of their substitutions, and then lose a player to injury or from receiving a red card, then the regu must forfeit the set. *
Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summe ...
: Under FIVB rules, which are followed by almost all leagues worldwide, teams are limited to six substitutions per set, which can only take place in dead-ball situations and substituted players may return to the game. Substitutions involving the libero, a specialist player who can only play in the back row, are not counted against the limit under FIVB rules, but the libero can only be replaced by the player whom they replaced, with exceptions in case of injury. The NCAA follows these substitution rules in the men's National Collegiate division ( Division I/ II), but allows 12 substitutions per set in Division III men's play and 15 per set in women's play for all divisions. Furthermore in NCAA women's play, the libero is allowed to serve the same spot in the rotation as the player she replaced, and is not limited to the back row, but may only enter the game in a back-row position. In
beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the ...
, similar to most doubles sports, substitutions are not allowed in any form and teams must forfeit if they lose a player.


Sports only allow substitution to replace injured players

*
Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
: Substitutions in cricket are only allowed when an umpire rules that a player is too ill or too injured to continue to play. As a result, substitutions are extremely rare in cricket and most tournaments do not require teams to dress a substitute player for a match, although teams may still choose to do so. In 2019, the ICC amended the laws of the sport to allow for substitutions in cases of
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
or suspected concussion in a player. Since the rule change, substitutions have become more common but still remain a relatively rare occurrence. These rules also apply to
indoor cricket Indoor cricket is a variant of and shares many basic concepts with cricket. The game is most often played between two teams each consisting of six or eight players.
, each team has a playing squad of 23, of whom 18 are on the field and four are so-called "interchanges". The 23rd player is a designated medical substitute who can only enter the game if a teammate is ruled unable to continue play by on-field medical officers. At all levels of the game, players may be interchanged at any time, including during gameplay, but must enter and exit the field through the ''interchange area'', a 15-metre stretch of the boundary line between the teams' benches (with exceptions in case of injury). In the AFL, each team is limited to 75 substitutions per match. Other leagues have different limits on the number of interchanges and the number of substitutions allowed. For example, in
AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...
, each team has a 21-player squad, with 16 on the field and five interchanges. Unlike the men's league, AFL Women's has no limit on the number of player rotations during a match, making that league an example of free substitution. **
International rules football International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed ...
: Under International rules, 15 players are on the field at any time and a further eight players are designated as interchange players. Teams are allowed unlimited interchanges between quarters, and a maximum of 15 interchanges during each quarter, which they may do at any time during play. Teams may also only interchange one player at a time, double-substitutions are not allowed. Players who are ejected from the game from receiving a yellow card may be replaced by other players, however players who have been ejected due to a red card may not be replaced and their team will play short-handed the rest of the match. *
Kabaddi Kabaddi is a contact team sport. Played between two teams of seven players, the objective of the game is for a single player on offence, referred to as a "raider", to run into the opposing team's half of the court, touch out as many of their ...
: Teams play with seven players on the court and five substitution players on the bench. Teams may only substitute players during half-time or when they call a time-out, however during those times teams may substitute any number of players they choose, meaning they may substitute anywhere between zero to five players during each time-out and during half-time. As teams are allowed to call two time-outs each half, this allows teams up to five opportunities for substitutions each match and a theoretical maximum of 25 total substitutions each match. Players who receive a red card and are ejected from the game cannot be replaced and their team must play short-handed for the rest of the match. ** Circle-style kabaddi: Circle-style kabaddi plays with the same system as standard kabaddi rules: teams may only make substitutions at half-time and during the two time-outs permitted each half. However, in this variant, rosters consist of eight active players and six substitutes instead of seven and five, respectively. *
Kho kho Kho kho or kho-kho is a traditional Indian sport that dates back to ancient India. It is the second most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after kabaddi. Kho kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connec ...
: Per International Kho Kho Federation rules, which are used in most organized competitions, the attacking team may freely substitute players at any time while attacking. The defending team may only make changes to their line-up before the start of their turn to defend, and are only permitted substitutions in the middle of a turn in order to replace an injured or ejected player. However, India's professional league,
Ultimate Kho Kho Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) is an Indian franchise-based Kho kho Kho kho or kho-kho is a traditional Indian sport that dates back to ancient India. It is the second most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after kabaddi. K ...
, uses a modified version of these rules where, except in cases of injury, the attacking team may only make substitutions at the start of the turn or during the 30-second break after all defenders have been tagged out and the next batch of defenders prepares to play. *
Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...
: Similar to kabaddi, netball teams, per
World Netball World Netball, previously known as the International Netball Federation and the International Federation of Netball Associations, is the worldwide governing body for Netball. The INF was created in 1960 and is responsible for world rankings, m ...
rules, consist of seven players on the court and five substitute players on the bench. Teams are allowed to substitute any number of players (between zero and five) but only during the intervals between each quarter and the interval before extra-time. In a normal game, this gives teams a maximum of 15 substitutions per game, or 20 if the game goes to extra-time. If a player is injured and must leave the game, the umpire may stop the game to allow one or both teams to make further substitutions. :However, Australia's
Super Netball Suncorp Super Netball is the top level netball league featuring teams from Australia. In 2017 it replaced the ANZ Championship, which also included teams from New Zealand, as the top level netball league in Australia. Since 2019, the league has ...
uses a notably different system: squads only contain three substitute players instead of five and, starting the 2020 season, Super Netball allows unlimited substitutions throughout the game, as long as players joining the game assume the same
position Position often refers to: * Position (geometry), the spatial location (rather than orientation) of an entity * Position, a job or occupation Position may also refer to: Games and recreation * Position (poker), location relative to the dealer * ...
of the player that they are replacing. An analysis done by
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show ''Good Morning America'', ''Ni ...
found that across the league, Super Netball teams averaged around 10 to 11 substitutions per game in the first season after rolling substitution was introduced, compared to an average of only three or four substitutions per game the previous season. *
Underwater rugby Underwater rugby (UWR) is an underwater team sport. During a match two teams try to score a negatively buoyant ball (filled with saltwater) into the opponents’ goal at the bottom of a swimming pool. It originated from within the physical f ...
: Teams consist of six active players in the area of play, six exchange players on the sidelines (usually the edge of the pool), and three reserve players on the team's bench. Teams may freely substitute between the active and exchange players at any time during play and any number of times, however teams may only interchange active or exchange players with a reserve player a maximum of three times per match. This can be done during any stoppage of play, for any reason, including replacing expelled players, and players who have been interchanged off may re-enter the game, although this still counts towards a team's maximum number of interchanges. Players serving a penalty in the penalty box may not be exchanged or interchanged.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Free Substitution Sports terminology