Question Number: 24471

Law 11 - Offside 1/10/2011

RE: B travel team Under 12

Kevin of Wilmington, DE USA asks...

I notice that the offside rule does not apply for goal kicks. Is this true for either side doing the goal kick? Our team has an goalie with unusually strong goal kicks. Can our team have players down field past the defenders waiting for it ?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Kevin
That is correct. A player cannot be offside from a goal kick, corner kick or throw in so it is perfectly okay to position players behind the defensive line on a goal kick. What they have to take account of is a touch off a team mate from the goal kick as depending on the players' position will be considered for offside. At higher levels defenders will perhaps hold a high line and then drop off to the landing area of the ball after it is kicked. Forwards then are unsure who will get the touch from the goal kick which can prevent a forward in an offside position from playing the ball

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Yes, they can go lay in wait. There is no offside offense if the ball is received directly (meaning no other player touches it) from a goal kick. At U12, it might be wise to go by the refs and
'ask' if your understanding is correct. We are so conditioned to raise the flag when a ball is kicked to a player in an offside position that the ARs sometimes forget it is a goal kick! Oops.

But do remember that in such situations, where the attacking players are behind all the defenders (except, one assumes, the keeper) once the ball is directly received by an attacker, the ball becomes the offside line until such time as the defenders catch up and there are at least two of them between the ball, the attackers and the goal line. Offside position will count after that first touch of the ball. If a teammate goes in front of the ball once it is received and gets a pass, s/he will be considered for offside, having received the ball in an offside position which was last touched or played by a teammate.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Offside only applies to the team in possession of the ball, at any time. So the exemption at the goal kick has to refer to the attacking team - the team taking the goal kick.

This is a hold-over from the long-ago days when offside was determined by the position of the ball only. Whenever a player was in front of the ball, he was in an offside position, regardless of the position of any opponents. Since it would be virtually impossible to be behind the ball at a goal kick, the exemption was put into the offside law. Could IFAB change it in the modern game? Sure, but they haven't seen a need to make that change.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Please remember that offside ONLY is considered when a teammate plays or touches the ball. When an opponent plays the ball, offside is never a consideration.

Yes, while your players may be in an offside position, there is no offside infraction if the ball is received directly from s goal kick. So, have your players waiting for the ball as no offside infraction will be called.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 24491