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The multiball system in
''BBC Sport'', 17 January 2006. Retrieved 16 March 2007 In the multiball system, a number of match balls, often seven, are held by ball boys around the edge of the pitch. When one ball leaves the field of play, the nearest ball boy will release another ball to a player, allowing the game to resume immediately. The system is currently used for
, ''TeamTalk.com'', Retrieved 16 March 2007 though the referee may discontinue the system during a match.
''Yahoo!Sport'', Retrieved 28 December 2007
The multiball system in football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
permits a match immediately to resume with another ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
when the original match ball goes out of play.
Traditionally, professional football matches employ the use of a single ball, and when the ball leaves the field of play
A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term ''pitch'' is most commonly used in British English, while the comparable term in American and Canadian English is playing field or sports field.
For most sports t ...
, the game pauses until the ball is returned. According to the Laws of the Game, the ball may be changed on the "authority of the referee
A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...
" if it "bursts or becomes defective", though typically it will also be replaced if kicked out of the stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
. However, a new system was introduced by some football leagues and associations to increase the number of match balls used per game.Chick Young's column''BBC Sport'', 17 January 2006. Retrieved 16 March 2007 In the multiball system, a number of match balls, often seven, are held by ball boys around the edge of the pitch. When one ball leaves the field of play, the nearest ball boy will release another ball to a player, allowing the game to resume immediately. The system is currently used for
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
European club tournaments, international competitions and the FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
. Home teams are free to choose whether to use the system in the English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
,Angry Ollie wants his ball back, ''TeamTalk.com'', Retrieved 16 March 2007 though the referee may discontinue the system during a match.
''Yahoo!Sport'', Retrieved 28 December 2007
Multiball system use
Criticism
While some commentators and managers support the system for maintaining the speed and flow of the game, others suggest that the way the system is implemented favours the home team. In 2005Gary Megson
Gary John Megson (born 2 May 1959) is an English former football player and manager.
He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers and ...
, then manager of Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Trent ...
, was cited in a referee's match report after his team scored, prompting "the supply of balls around the pitch to dry up". Ian Holloway claims that, when playing at other stadia, ball boys often delay providing balls to his players, but that "when it is the other way around the ball boys cannot get the ball to their own players fast enough".
References
;Footnotes ;Citations {{reflist Association football terminology Laws of association football