Sport Scoring SolutionsHockey scoring: the rules and a free scoring app
Hockey is one of South Africa's biggest school sports and is played at clubs in every province. Scoring a match means keeping the clock, the goals, the scorers and any players who are temporarily suspended. Our free hockey scorer does all of that on one phone.
Watch: how to play hockey
Match length
- Under FIH rules a match is four quarters of 15 minutes, with 2-minute breaks after the first and third quarters and a longer half-time interval.
- Many school and club competitions still play two halves, for example 2 × 35 or 2 × 30 minutes. Indoor hockey is usually 2 × 20 minutes.
- Choose a preset in the app, or set your own number of periods and minutes.
Scoring a goal
A goal counts only if the ball is played by an attacker inside the shooting circle and passes completely over the goal line between the posts. Each goal is worth one point. A penalty stroke is taken from the spot and also counts as one goal.
Penalty corners
Penalty corners (short corners) are awarded for defending offences in the circle and are a big source of goals. Coaches like to count them, so the app has a Short corner button that records each one in the match log without changing the score.
Cards and suspensions
| Card | What it means | In the app |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Warning plus a 2-minute temporary suspension | 2-minute timer |
| Yellow | Temporary suspension of at least 5 minutes of playing time | 5-minute timer |
| Red | Permanent suspension; the team plays a player short | Shown for the rest of the match |
Suspension timers count playing time, so they stop when you pause the match clock. When a suspension ends the app shows that the player may return.
Draws and shoot-outs
League matches can end in a draw. In knockout matches a draw is usually decided by a shoot-out, where attackers take one-on-one attempts against the goalkeeper. When the final period ends level, the app lets you record a draw or the shoot-out winner and score.
How to use the hockey scorer
- Enter the team names and choose the format.
- Start the clock with the umpire's whistle and pause it for stoppages your competition allows.
- Tap Goal and pick or type the scorer, or tap Card to record a card and start the suspension timer.
- End each quarter when the umpire does. The app shows the score per period and a full match log, saved under My results.
These notes summarise the FIH Rules of Hockey for club and school play. For official matches follow the current FIH rules and the regulations of SA Hockey or your league.