Question Number: 25890

Law 11 - Offside 1/14/2012

RE: Select High School

Barron Peterson of Volcano, California Usa asks...

U19 game played on a 70 yard field. Players can kick 40 plus yards. On a goal kick can the team taking the goal kick be in a offside position on the attacking half of the field?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Barron
There is no offence being in an offside position at any time. The player in an offside position has to meet one the three offside conditions to be penalised.
In relation to your question a player cannot be offside directly from a goal kick, throw in or a corner kick. So not only can the player be in an offside position he cannot be called offside if he receives the ball directly from a goal kick. That does not aplly by the way to a punt.
What does happen though is that if the ball is touched on / played on by a team mate from the goal kick then the player in an offside position at that point cannot become involved in active play by touching the ball or interfering with an opponent.
Good defences judge the dropping point of goal kicks and set up accordingly. Even if the defenders compress play up before the kick the good defence will drop off smartly with the ball in the air

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

When playing on a field that short, it is also worthy to note that a goal kick is a direct kick. A goal could be scored directly.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Offside position is a factual matter. i.e. a player either is or is not in an offside position. This never changes.

Can an offside OFFENSE happen if the ball is directly received by an attacking player in an offside position at a goal kick? No.

Same is true for corner kicks and throw-ins.

The offense of offside requires a player to be in an offside position when the ball is played by a member of his team AND the offside positioned played must become actively involved in play.

Law 11 tells us this offense cannot happen if the ball is directly received at a goal kick, corner kick, or throw-in