Rules
Handball timekeeper and scorekeeper: what the table officials do
A handball match has two referees and two table officials. The timekeeper runs the playing time, the time-outs and every 2-minute suspension; the scorekeeper keeps the team lists and the score sheet. Together they control substitutions and the bench, and the timekeeper's whistle stops play at once, so a goal scored after it does not count.
Who sits at the table, and who does what
A handball match is run by two referees with equal authority, assisted by a timekeeper and a scorekeeper (Rule 17:1 of the IHF Rules of the Game, Indoor Handball, 1 July 2025, the edition every rule number here refers to). The two at the table split the work by Rule 18:1: the timekeeper owns time, the scorekeeper owns the paperwork, and a third set of tasks belongs to both. The table sits closer to the side line than the team benches, at least 50 cm outside it, where both officials can see the two substitution lines.
| Who | Main responsibility | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Timekeeper | Playing time, time-outs, suspension time | Starts and stops the clock, runs team time-outs, shows when each suspension ends, gives the final signal if the clock cannot |
| Scorekeeper | Team rosters, score sheet, late arrivals, players not entitled to play | Keeps the score sheet, including the time of each team time-out; enters players who arrive after the start |
| Both | Players and officials in the substitution area, substitutes leaving and entering, attacks after an injury | Watch the substitution lines and the benches; count three attacks for a treated player |
Rule 18:1 adds one line that shapes the whole job: "Generally, only the timekeeper (and, when applicable, a delegate from the responsible federation) should interrupt the game when this becomes necessary." The scorekeeper notices; the timekeeper whistles.
Before the throw-off
The team sheet decides who may play. A team has up to 16 players and up to 5 team officials, and a player or official is entitled to participate only if present at the start and entered in the score sheet (Rules 4:1 to 4:3). Someone who arrives after the start must get that entitlement from the timekeeper or scorekeeper and be added to the score sheet before going on. Before the game the responsible team official signs the match report, confirming that every player is correctly equipped (Rule 4:9).
The table also checks the benches. Only players and officials entered in the score sheet may be in the substitution area, and the timekeeper and scorekeeper "shall support the referees in monitoring the occupancy of the substitution area before and during the game" (Substitution Area Regulation 4). If something is wrong before the game, it does not start until it is fixed. If it goes wrong during the game, the game does not continue after the next interruption until it is resolved.
Running the clock
The timekeeper stops the clock for a time-out, and some time-outs are obligatory: for a 2-minute suspension or a disqualification, for a team time-out, for a whistle from the timekeeper or delegate, and when the referees need to consult (Rule 2:8). The referees signal a time-out with three short blasts and hand signal 15, and the whistle must always be blown to restart. A goal does not stop the clock; play restarts with a throw-off while it runs.
The timekeeper's whistle stops the game outright
When the timekeeper whistles, the timekeeper stops the clock at once without waiting for the referees (Rule 2:9). The whistle itself ends play, whether or not the referees and players have noticed: "if a goal was scored after the whistle signal from the table, the 'goal' must be disallowed". A throw the referees award after the whistle is invalid too, and the game restarts as the situation stood when the timekeeper whistled. The one thing that survives is a personal punishment the referees give between the whistle and the moment they stop the action.
When there is no scoreboard clock
Without a public clock the timekeeper must keep each team's responsible official told how much time has been played or is left, especially after time-outs. Without an automatic final signal the timekeeper gives the signal for half-time and for the end of the game (Rule 18:2). If the signal comes too early, the referees keep the players on and play the remaining time. If the first half ran too long, the second half is shortened by the same amount; if the second half ran too long, nothing can be changed (Rule 2:7).
The last 30 seconds have rules of their own, and the IHF places them "when the clock indicates 59 minutes 30 seconds (or 69:30, 79:30) or 0 minutes 30 seconds": the end of the match and of each overtime on a clock counting up, or 0:30 on one counting down.
Suspensions: the card on the table
The table's most visible job is the suspension clock. The referee calls a time-out and shows the player, the timekeeper and the scorekeeper the 2-minute signal, one arm raised with two fingers extended (hand signal 14). A warning is shown with the yellow card and a disqualification with the red (hand signal 13), and a blue card after the red tells the table a written report will follow.
The suspension "begins when the game is restarted with a whistle signal" and runs for two minutes of playing time (Rule 16:5). Because the clock is stopped while it is given, the arithmetic is simple: the end time is the match time showing plus 2:00. If the scoreboard cannot display suspension times, "at least three per team during IHF games", the timekeeper puts a card on the table showing each suspension's expiry time with the player's number (Rule 18:2).
| Given at (clock stopped) | Card shows | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 23:41, #7 | #7, 25:41 | Two minutes of playing time from the restart |
| 29:20, #11 | #11, 31:20 | Runs on into the second half, which starts at 30:00 |
| 59:10, #4, in a match going to overtime | #4, 61:10 | Carries into overtime, whose clock reads on from 60:00 |
| 41:05, disqualification of #9 | Team, 43:05 | The team is one short for two minutes; then any other player may come on |
The scorekeeper keeps the counts that make punishments escalate. The Comment to Rule 16:1 allows one warning per player and three per team, none for a player who has already been suspended, and one warning in total for a team's officials. The third suspension for the same player is a disqualification (Rule 16:6d). A team official's suspension leaves the team a player short on the court for two minutes even though the official stays on the bench.
Four minutes, or two short at once
Two suspensions for the same player can be served one after the other or at the same time, and the difference is when the second one came. A player who has just been suspended and commits unsportsmanlike conduct before the game restarts gets a second suspension, and the team plays short for four minutes (Rule 16:9a). A player who is already serving and comes back on early gets an additional suspension that "shall begin immediately", so the team is two short until the first ends (Rule 4:6).
Team time-outs and the green card
A team official asks for a team time-out by putting the green card on the table in front of the timekeeper, and only while the team has the ball (Clarification 3). The timekeeper whistles, stops the clock, gives hand signal 15 and points at the team. The green card stays on the table on that team's side, the scorekeeper writes the time into the score sheet, and a separate clock runs the minute. After 50 seconds an acoustic signal warns that play resumes in 10 seconds. Where an electronic buzzer replaces the cards, pressing it stops the clock directly.
How many a team gets depends on the competition. Rule 2:10 allows one per team in each half and none in overtime; its Note lets federations allow three per match, at most two in a half and one in the last five minutes, with the opponents having had the ball at least once between two time-outs of the same team. Under that system each team has cards numbered 1, 2 and 3, and the table hands them out by half.
| Time-outs used in the 1st half | Cards for the 2nd half | Time-outs left |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 and 3 | 2 |
| 1 | 2 and 3 | 2 |
| 2 | 3 | 1 |
A team official may leave the coaching zone to put the green card down, but may not stand waiting at the table holding it for the right moment (Substitution Area Regulation 5). If the timekeeper whistles for a time-out the referees then refuse because the timing was wrong, the game restarts with a free throw for the team that had the ball, or a 7-metre throw if the interruption destroyed a clear chance (Clarification 7).
When the table stops the game
What the timekeeper does about a problem depends on what kind of problem it is (Clarification 7).
| Problem | What the timekeeper does | How play restarts |
|---|---|---|
| Faulty substitution, an extra player, or a player interfering from the bench | Interrupts at once, without regard for advantage | Free throw, or a 7-metre throw if the defending team's fault destroyed a clear chance |
| Anything else, such as unsportsmanlike conduct on the bench | Waits for the next stoppage and tells the referees | The throw that fits the stoppage; if the timekeeper whistled with the ball in play, a free throw for the team that had it |
The guilty player in a substitution fault gets a 2-minute suspension; if several players from one team are at fault in the same situation, only the first is punished (Rule 4:5). Substitutes may come on at any time without telling the table, as long as the player they replace has already left the court, and both must cross the team's own substitution line (Rule 4:4). The table is watching the lines, not waiting for a request.
A suspension still running at the end of overtime matters at the table too: that player may not take part in any 7-metre throwing that follows (Rule 16:5).
The table has no power to punish. "The timekeeper does not have the right to pronounce a punishment against a player or a team official." The referees may punish only what they saw; for something reported to them they can give an informal caution, and for the most serious cases they must make a written report. A delegate on duty is different: the referees must give the punishments a delegate instructs.
Counting three attacks after an injury
A player who receives treatment on the court must leave it and may return only after the team's third attack (Rule 4:11), and counting those attacks is a joint job for the timekeeper and scorekeeper (Clarification 8). An attack starts when the team gains the ball and ends when it scores or loses the ball. If the team had the ball when its player needed treatment, that attack counts as the first. The table tells the team when the player may go back on, and a player who returns too early is punished as a faulty substitution.
Three exceptions end the wait early or cancel it. The player may come back when play resumes after half-time, whatever the count. A player suspended during the three attacks may return when the suspension ends. And the rule does not apply when the injury came from an illegal action that the referees punished progressively, or when a ball hit the goalkeeper's head and treatment on the court was needed. National federations may switch the rule off for youth handball.
What to bring to the table
None of the rules above needs special equipment, but each needs something written down at the moment it happens. A table without an electronic board needs:
- a stopwatch or table clock for the playing time, and a second one for the team time-out minute;
- the score sheet with both team lists, and a pen;
- cards or a whiteboard for each suspension's number and end time, at least three per team;
- the two teams' green cards, if the competition uses three time-outs;
- a whistle for the timekeeper.
Simple Online Counter is a free, browser-based set of counters, and its handball score counter does the clock and the suspension cards on one screen: it stops for suspensions and team time-outs, shows each team's players on court and when the next one comes back, and counts warnings and time-outs left. It records what you tap and does not replace the official score sheet.
Frequently asked questions
What does a timekeeper do in handball?
The timekeeper has the main responsibility for the playing time, the time-outs and the suspension time of suspended players (IHF Rule 18:1). That means starting and stopping the clock, running the one-minute team time-outs, showing each suspension's expiry time, giving the final signal if the clock has no automatic one, and interrupting the game for a faulty substitution.
What does a scorekeeper do in handball?
The scorekeeper has the main responsibility for the team rosters, the score sheet, entering players who arrive after the game has started, and entering players who are not entitled to participate (Rule 18:1). The scorekeeper also records each team time-out in the score sheet, and shares with the timekeeper the watch on substitutions and the substitution area.
Can the timekeeper stop the game in handball?
Yes. Generally only the timekeeper, or a delegate, should interrupt the game, and the timekeeper's whistle stops it at once: any action after it is invalid, so a goal scored after the whistle is disallowed. For a faulty substitution the timekeeper interrupts immediately, without waiting for advantage. For other problems the timekeeper waits for the next stoppage and tells the referees.
How do you request a team time-out in handball?
A team official puts the team's green card on the table in front of the timekeeper, or presses the electronic buzzer where one is used. It is granted only while the team has the ball. The timekeeper whistles, stops the clock, points at the team and starts a separate one-minute clock; a signal after 50 seconds warns that play restarts in 10 seconds.
When does a 2-minute suspension start in handball?
When the game is restarted with a whistle, not when the referee shows it (Rule 16:5). Because the clock is stopped while the referee gives the suspension, the expiry time is simply the match time on the clock plus two minutes: a suspension given at 23:41 ends at 25:41. It carries over half-time and into overtime.
Can the timekeeper give a suspension in handball?
No. The timekeeper does not have the right to pronounce a punishment against a player or a team official (Clarification 7). The timekeeper reports what happened to the referees, and the referees can punish only what they saw themselves; otherwise they can give an informal caution, or a written report for the most serious cases. A delegate on duty can instruct them.
How many players can be on a handball score sheet?
Up to 16 players and up to 5 team officials. No more than 7 players may be on the court at a time, and a team needs at least 5 on the court to start. A player who arrives after the start is entitled to play once the timekeeper or scorekeeper has entered them in the score sheet (Rules 4:1 to 4:3).
How many attacks must an injured player wait in handball?
Three. A player treated on the court must leave it and may come back only after the team's third attack (Rule 4:11). An attack starts with possession and ends with a goal or the loss of the ball, and if the team had the ball when the player needed treatment, that counts as the first. The timekeeper and scorekeeper count them and tell the team.