What is the meaning of the phrase ‘Hospital pass’ in football? You can find out more about this phrase by reading the transcript below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.
Hospital pass
There are many types of passes in football: a long ball, a through ball, a one-two, a slide rule pass, a back pass among others. There is one pass, however, that is not welcome by players – the hospital pass. This is a bad pass that has not gone directly to a colleague but instead has given a chance to an opponent to reach the ball – sometimes known as a 50-50 tackle which increases the chances of getting injured. This means that the receiving player may be injured as the opponent is also going for the ball at the same time. It is called a hospital pass as the player may receive a serious injury and end up in hospital. Hospital pass
- Example: The defender gave a hospital pass to her colleague which put her team under pressure.
Thanks a lot, Damian.
Hello Damian. I hear the phrase “initial pass” as in “rapid counter from Leicester with Kante. He finds Mahrez with an initial pass, but his ball to Vardy fiinds the striker just offside.”
Does “initial” mean first in this context?
Hi Hyuna,
Yes, an initial pass is the first one in a team’s move.