Anyone else think the games are too short??

I have been in this league for over 5 years now and the games are getting shorter and shorter. We used to have the fields without too many restrictions and no as many teams in the league, therefore the refs would actually time it right. Now it seems as if we are hurried through our games. One possession from each team and its HalfTime. Then you get about 2-3 more and its game, so throughout the game a team only gets 4 possessions, one turn over and it could be GAME. Not fair, not the right way of playing football and getting worse.

Depends on the refs...But, they could be a little longer. What is the `official` playing time anyway?

I believe its 45 minutes.

Maybe we can skip the halftime or just take 2-3 mins to get water and change sides.

Also the two captains or coaches can each use a stop watch and time the game for accuracy.

It definitely does not feel like 45 mins.

I agree with you, We should keep time on our side and eliminate a long HalfTime. The objective is to excersise and run, 45 minute football games is pretty short. Its time to cut corners.

the game is 40 minutes.....20 minute halves w/ a running clock except for timeouts and inside 2 minutes

if they change the length of the game they will up the cost, it`s high enough, if you run your own clock you`ll just prove them wrong but you will still not be happy cause we`ve tried that and they don`t care...officials call there own games...

I wouldn`t mind paying more money for playing time...

Waking up at 7:30 in the morning to play 3-4 series doesn`t exactly make me happy sometimes....

I`m not sure why we can`t have 25 minute running halves with a 1 minute half...

Secondly... I don`t see the need for kickoffs... They seem like a monumental waste of time... I`m guessing they burn a minimal of 1:30 off the clock for each one...

the schedules are listed in hour time frames , so i don`t see why we can`t get 25 minute halves with a five minute half time.That would still leave 5 minutes between each game.

the clock would still have to run when a timeout is called or else the game will go over the hour time limit. We could still have the timeouts to give the team time to re-group or call plays or sub players in, but the clock could still be running. Perhaps the refs could hold two stop watches. one that runs for the halves and the other for the timeouts.

re: the game is 40 minutes.....20 minute halves w/ a running clock except for timeouts and inside 2 minutes

Can you use a timeout after a TD or FG to preserve game clock? The point-after attempt should not start the game clock, so calling a timeout after a score should preserve all the time that runs off for the PAT and for the set-up for the kickoff - several minutes a half at least. Even after a change of possession late in the game, this could be the difference in a few more plays...

The thing is the refs do what they want they will stop the clock or let it run depending on how they feel. I had a ref tell us last game to just sit on the ball b/c the game was all most over

First game out ref`s made just about every call on the field correct, however the clock management was suspect. Ex. to get a time out seems like pulling teeth. I`ve seen a good 10-15sec wasted trying to get the ref to stop play for a time out. That hurts when you squad is down and it`s under 2min.

If you make the games longer, that`s gonna kill all that sweet Under the Total action I`ve been gettin` with Sheridan!

Don`t tell him the games are only 40 minutes!!

Games are short because when you score a "TD" between the extra point and kickoff you can take up to 3 - 5 minute off of the clock while you line up and get organized. Teams that move quick can save sometime here but I think after a "TD" the clock should stop until the scoring team is ready to kick off again.

I know when our team scores, theres no real rush to give the ball back to the other team asap.

But the refs could enforce the play clock... duh!

the time problem would be solved if going out of bounds would stop the clock thru the whole game and not just the last 2 minutes. that and the extra point should not run the clock down. r the playoff games any longer?

Our team doesn`t run out of bounds too often either... what are you? afraid to take a hit?

I think the only real answer here is maybe shorten the play clock 5 seconds, and make sure the refs stick to it. Secondly, maintain the play clock on the whole scoring/PAT/Kickoff process.

I imagine the way the field scheduling process goes.. lengthening the halves may not work? Although, it seems like you could squeeze an extra 5.. but maybe there`s some allowance for overtime. Or maybe 20 min halves is the standard in FF at some national or state level.

I`d love to hear what the commish has to say.. but I`m sure he knows that all of us wants a long as game as possible. But maybe he can add some logic to the 20 min halves, b/c they do seem short.

Play both ways and you get 4-6 series per half.

The refs speed the game clock up if they feel they are falling behind. It really isn`t the same each week. They need to make it atleast uniform and not spped up the clock. When they do it throws off strategy.

At the VFFA Tournament, all games are 25 minute halves running clock except inside 2 minutes. The halftime is long enough that the refs actually go back to their car to warm up. We`re ready to play and they`re nowhere to be found. There are also 90 minute slots for each game.

I like the 25 minute halves because the length of the games are just right...about 3 possessions per team per half. I`ve asked Tom a few times in the past couple of months whether we can modify the schedules in future seasons by getting each field and set of refs for an extra hour and make all of the time slots 15 minutes longer. No response yet.

Sure it would cost a little more, but you get what you pay for. As it is, most teams pay between $60 and $90 per player and we get games that are too short. When you go to States and see how long their games are, it just seems a little more natural and makes our games feel a little rushed. In IFFL, most evenly matched games are determined by who wins the toss. If you`re a team that can eat the clock in one long posession each half, you`re going to win a lot of games. If you`re on the wrong side of that, you`ve got to play catch up very quickly. At States, the toss is a bit more irrelevant.

If our league is a VFFA league and we are striving to play by their rules for consistency, we might as well start with the length of the games.

Agreed! Well said.

The only problem is Tom never answers.

I agree 100% MuddDawg...We are in the VFFA and most leagues play 22 - 25 minute halves, only seems logical to me. In the IFFL once you get rollin` the half or the game is over.

The Comissioner should at least chime in with some `official` input on this subject...

Do we use Bull Run officials? I wish that we could just officiate our own games, like we do when we scrimmage. But that is probably unacceptable to most of you, so why don`t we officailly keep time of our own games? The officials really have no incentive to keep good track of time in the games. Their only true motivation is to start the next game on time. It`s not like they are going to lose their jobs for losing track of time. We`ve also seen the bad officials who return week after week - you know the officails who can`t get a call right, the half-blind officials, the occasional "hard-ass" official who takes the fun out of the game. They all come back week after week. I`ve also heard rumors that one of the commissioners plays in the league, and it would appear that his team gets special treatment. My point is that we should definitely keep track of our own games since we have the incentive to do it right (i.e. I need to manage time effectively in order to help my team win). The truth is that we pay the officials. They work for us! So if both teams keep track of how much time is left and they are in agreement, then the officails should not need to keep track of time. The officails should only keep track of time as a third-party in case there is a dispute as to how much time is left toward the end of each half.

Answer to Hugh Jass..
First, yes, you use Bull Run Officials Association.
Second, let me try to set the record straight on timing.The league has set a 23-minute running clock,with the last 2 minutes as “official time” with two time
outs per half because of field use restrictions.
Example: Herndon, March 25, 4 games starting at 8:00AM. At 11:30AM a man walks up and says
he has a permit to use the field at noon.
At noon he was yelling at us to get off the field.We had 1:15 to go and we kept playing (great game)and finished at 12:06PM. We should have ended the game at noon because his use permit was for that time.
Same restrictions apply at other fields.
In order for me address this issue of “shorting the clock”,
I need to know which field you are playing on and the date so I can discuss it with that crew. After a score, I have seen both teams take up to 3 to 4 minutes before the ensuing kickoff. In the past,we put the following rule in to prevent that from happening:
After extra point you had one minute to kick the ball;if that did not take place, PENALTY 15 yards AND stop the clock Maybe we should put that rule back in…

The officals at Braddock Park were the best I have seen. In a very long time. Keep those dudes together.

At Baron Cameron it definitely seemed like the games were shortened. I watched Penetrators-Chuck Norris and also Lazy-Prowlers. Both games seemed to start at the same time @ 11:00AM, however the C division game ended around 11:50 and the Lazy-Prowlers ended around 12:05pm..

And i agree, there should be a rule in regards to kicking off after a score.