How Long is a High School Soccer Game

Soccer is a game known by all countries in the world. The love for soccer is growing each day amongst the fans. From children to youth to adults all games of soccer. The game of soccer is also played in the annual sports functions in high school. Different schools conduct games according to their convenience. How long is a high school soccer game? According to the standards of the United States youth soccer association it is crucial to understand. In this article, we have described in detail the standard times given by the association.

United States Youth Soccer Association recommended time for a soccer game

The United States Youth Soccer Association has given high school soccer time length for the different youth groups. Let’s have a look at them.

• Youth under 6:  the soccer game for the youth under 6 groups should be for 4 quarters of 6 minutes each with unlimited substitutes.
• Youth Under 8: the soccer game for them should be for 4 quarters of 12 minutes each. There should be no limit for substitutes. The stoppage-time should not be added.
• Youth Under 10:  According to the United States youth soccer association this group of youth is old enough to play the soccer game in two halves. So this game is divided into two halves of 25 minutes. There should be no limit for substitutes and stoppage time must not be added.
• Youth Under 12: High school soccer games for this group should be for two halves of 30 minutes each. The Referee can stop time in case of any injury. Extra time having two halves of 10 minutes each can be included to determine the winner. 
• Youth Under 14: The game for under 14 youth should consist of 2 halves of 35  minutes each. If necessary extra time can be added to 10 minutes two halves though this is very rare in the case of high school soccer matches. Also, the injury time should be added at the end. 
• Youth Under 16: The soccer game time length for the youth under 16 category is 40 minutes. 
• Youth Under 19: The time length for soccer games for this category includes 2 halves of 45 minutes each. If the necessary extra time of two halves of 15 minutes can be added at the end.

How Long do Professional Soccer Games Last

Professional soccer games are often short games as the time is predetermined and the clock is always running. They are 90 minutes long with two halves of 45 minutes.  There is one half-time between the two halves of the game. This halftime is 15 minutes. If the winner has to be declared the extra time is given of 20 minutes which has two halves of 10 minutes. So as you know the structure of professional matches lets’s understand the structure of high school soccer matches. 

How Long do High School Soccer Games Last

After knowing all the above rules now you have a basic idea about how a soccer game is played. But you should also know that the rules made by FIFA and the US Soccer federation are not followed by the high school soccer games. They follow the rules that are set by the National Federation of State high school Associations (NFHS).

However, NFHS doesn’t force states to follow the same rules set by them. States are allowed to set their own rules. Most high school soccer games consist of two halves of 40 minutes. So, The total time of the game becomes 80 minutes. 

In high school soccer games, Referee is allowed to stop the clock on the scoreboard. But the referee cannot add up the time at the end of the game. They can only add extra time in case there is any mismanagement of the clock. 

The high school soccer games may have overtime and the rules are set by the league officials and coaches. Not for all the matches, the overtime is allowed. But for the matches which have to decide the winners. In such cases, the timings are decided by the officials. 

Sometimes the officials decide to avoid the overtime and go directly for the penalty Stokes. While sometimes they may decide to add the overtime of 10 minutes and then go for penalties. 

So, how long does the HS soccer match last?

80 minutes with a running clock. Comprising Two halves of 40 minutes each with one-half time between them. The Penalties might take up to 10 minutes and overtime if needed will last up to 20 minutes. And.. celebration may never end…

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