Question Number: 23149

Law 11 - Offside 4/20/2010

RE: Rec Under 7

Jeff of fredericksburg, va usa asks...

If Team A is attacking and has all 10 players (- keeper) across midfield when Team B kicks the ball (on their defending side) to their attacking side, is Team B offside? In other words, can Team B indeed be considered in an 'offside' position while still on their 'defending' side of the field?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Law 11 tells us a player can never be offside in their own (defending) half of the field, assuming that's where they were when the ball was last played or touched by a teammate.

Being in the attacking half when it was kicked and then coming into one's own defending half to play it is not the same thing, and will result in an offside call, should that player get involved in play.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jeff
This is a myth that has been raised on quite a number of Law 11 -Offside questions.
If the defending team had all its players excluding the goalkeeper in the other half, any attacking player that is in the opponent's half is most defintely in an offside position and the offside will be called when that player touches the ball.
A player is in an offside position if he is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. So there must be two opponents between/level with the attacking player and the goal line. If there is only the goalkeeper that is just one. If every defending player including the goalkeeper is in the other half then there is none. To deal with that situation a player cannot be offside in his own half so the attack should position its player on or close to the half way line in its own half. The moment the attacking player moves into the opponents half on his own or with only the goalkeeper he is in an offside position.