Injury Time
Additional playing time added at the end of a period in football (soccer) to compensate for stoppages during normal time.
Definition
Injury time — officially 'additional time' and widely called 'stoppage time' — is the extra time the referee adds at the end of each half to make up for minutes lost to substitutions, injuries, goal celebrations, time-wasting, and video reviews. The fourth official typically signals a minimum number of added minutes, but the referee alone decides exactly when the half ends.
The concept exists because the football clock does not stop for most interruptions, unlike sports with a fully stopping game clock. Play continues into injury time until the ball next goes out of play or the referee judges the added period complete, which is why dramatic late goals are often called 'injury-time winners.'
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Facilities
Goals
- Return to sportEasing back into activity after time away, a long break or a period off through injury.
- Sports for beginnersHow to start playing sport from scratch — choosing a first activity and building up gently.
- Build muscleChallenge your muscles with regular resistance training and steady recovery to build strength over time.
- TeamworkDevelop cooperation, communication and trust by playing sports that rely on working together.
- Improve flexibilityLengthen your muscles and widen your range of motion through regular, gentle stretching over time.
Equipment
- Football (soccer ball)A round, inflated ball used to play association football and futsal.
- Football boots (cleats)Studded footwear that grips the pitch for football and other field sports.
- Shin guardsProtective pads worn over the shins in football and other field sports.
- Water bottleA refillable bottle for carrying drinks and staying hydrated during sport.
Rules
- Direct and indirect free kicksThe two types of free kick awarded in football to restart play after a foul or other stoppage.
- Touching the netA net-play rule that penalises a player for contacting the net during a rally in net-divided sports.
- Out of boundsThe rule that a ball or player leaving the marked playing area is out of play and possession is decided at the boundary.
- Yellow and red cardsThe disciplinary cards a football referee shows to caution or send off a player for misconduct.
- Handball offenceA foul in football committed when an outfield player deliberately handles or controls the ball with the hand or arm.
Techniques
- HeaderA technique for controlling or striking the ball with the forehead in football, used to pass, shoot or clear the ball in the air.
- Inside-of-the-Foot PassThe most reliable short pass in football, played with the inside surface of the foot for accuracy over a short to medium distance.
- Badminton ClearAn overhead stroke that sends the shuttlecock high and deep to the opponent's back court, resetting the rally or buying time.
Decision making
- When to attackRecognising the moment to commit to an attacking action — spotting an opening and judging whether it is the right time to take it.
- Adapting to conditionsAdjusting your decisions as the conditions around you change — weather, surface, equipment, fatigue or an opponent's style.
- Reading spaceSeeing where space is — and is not — on the field or court, and using it to decide where to move, pass or play.
- Transition decisionsThe choices made at the moment a situation flips — winning or losing the ball, and switching between attack and defence.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Term
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-08-04
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