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Equal playing time calculator

Enter your squad, how many go on at once and how long you're playing. It tells you the minutes each child should get if game time is shared evenly.

The calculator answers the arithmetic question. Actually delivering it on a match morning, deciding who comes off when, coping with the child who turns up twenty minutes late, is what the Equal Play app does.

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How the calculation works

There is only one sum involved. Multiply the players on the pitch by the length of the match and you have the total pool of player-minutes available to give out:

Total player-minutes = players on the pitch × minutes of play

Each player's fair share = total player-minutes ÷ players available

So a squad of 14 playing a 50 minute match with 10 on the pitch has 500 player-minutes to share, which is 35.7 minutes each and about 14 minutes each on the side.

Count the whole session rather than one match. Minis fixtures in particular are usually several short games and a child who sat out most of game one is only treated fairly if game three knows about it.

Worked examples

Minutes per player when game time is shared evenly.
Squad On pitch Match Each player Each on the side
10 8 40 min 32 min 8 min
12 9 50 min 37.5 min 12.5 min
14 10 50 min 35.7 min 14.3 min
16 12 60 min 45 min 15 min
18 15 60 min 50 min 10 min

When the numbers don't divide evenly

They usually won't. Chasing an exact split inside one match tends to produce silly substitutions anyway. Two things help more:

What the RFU actually requires

An even split is a target you set yourself. The rule underneath it is the RFU's Half Game Rule: every player in the match day squad plays at least half of the available playing time, at every age grade, festivals included.

An even split usually clears that floor. Not always though, so the exception is worth knowing. Each player's share is the number on the pitch divided by the number in the squad. Once the squad is more than twice the number on the pitch that share drops below half, so seven a side with sixteen available comes out at just under 44% each and somebody is under the floor whatever the rotation does. At that point you need more matches, a second team or a smaller match day squad. Regulation 15 also caps how much rugby a child may play in a day, which does change with the grade. See Regulation 15 playing time for coaches for how to check yours. Read against the RFU's 2026/27 appendices in August 2026.

Common questions

How do you calculate equal playing time?

Multiply the number of players on the pitch by the length of the match to get the total player-minutes available, then divide by the number of players in your squad. That is each child's fair share.

How many minutes does each player get with a squad of 14 and 10 on the pitch?

In a 50 minute match with 10 players on the pitch there are 500 player-minutes to share. Divided between 14 players that is about 35.7 minutes each, so each child spends roughly 14 minutes off the pitch.

Does equal playing time mean everyone plays the same amount every match?

Not necessarily. When a squad does not divide evenly it is usually fairer to balance game time across a whole session or season, giving a child who was short last time first call this time, rather than forcing every single match to come out level.

The rest of Equal Play

Match day is one half of it. The other half is the Tuesday before: a catalogue of 100 drills for minis rugby, written for the age group you coach under Regulation 15, plus a session planner that adds the minutes up while you build so you find out at the kitchen table rather than at the pitch.

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