Question Number: 26560

Law 11 - Offside 7/19/2012

RE: Select Under 15

Al Sauer of Jersey Shore, NJ USA asks...

Regarding the OffSide rule relative to Goal Kicks.

Does the 'No Offence' clause apply to both the team with possession (taking the goal kick) and the team defending the kick?

If there is a brisk wind and the team taking the goal kick plays a very long ball to a player clearly in an off-side position in the opposition's defending half, this is not an offside offence?

Defending makes certain sense, as the ball is normally between the attacking player and the goal kick.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Al
A player cannot be offside from any ball out of play restart that is a throw in, goal kick or corner kick. So if an attacking player receives the ball directly from a goal kick having been in an offside position that is not offside and play continues.
The defending team has to adjust accordingly for the lengthy goal kick.
Also a player can only be called offside when the ball is played / touched by a team mate. If a player in an offside position receives the ball from an opponent that is not offside. The only exception is a rebound or deflection off an opponent when the ball has been played by a team mate. That is deemed to be gaining an advantage by being in that position.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Offside does not apply to the team taking a goal kick because of an exception in Law 11.

Offside does not apply to the team defending a goal kick because every player is eligible to play the ball (regardless of position) when the ball was last controlled by the opponents. Offside position is measured when the ball touches a teammate!

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

I'm not sure I understand your last statement.

Offside never applies to the defending team. Offside may only occur when a teammate plays or touches the ball, so at a goal kick, the defending team may never be offside.

There can be no offense of offside at a goal kick, corner kick, or throw in if the ball is received directly from a teammate. Please understand that directly only applies to the attacking players. If at the taking of a goal kick, for example, the ball glances off an opponent while on it's way to a teammate of the player taking the goal kick, there still may not be an offside offense as the ball is still coming directly from a teammate. If, on the other hand, the ball touches a teammate, the offside equation is reset. There can be no offside when the ball touches the first teammate at a goal kick but if the ball continues on to a teammate who was in an offside position when the ball touched the teammate ( note NOT when the goal kick was taken), this second teammate will be guilty of an offside offense if he touches the ball.