 Bunbury Dynamos Junior Soccer Club |
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OFFSIDE
Soccer has 17 official Rules of the Game, and none creates more confusion than the Offside Rule.
The
basic purpose of the rule is simple - to prevent attacking players
from setting up behind the last row of defenders, waiting for a
long pass that could lead to a one-on-one breakaway. But
offside calls remain controversial because players, coaches and
parents often overlook the critical distinction between being in an
offside position and being offside.
Being in an
offside position is not the same as being offside.
Offside
Position
It is not an offence in
itself to be in an offside position. 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
A
player is not in an offside position if:
* he is in his own
half of the field of play or
* he is level with the second last opponent or
* he is level with the last two opponents
Offence
A player in an
offside position is only penalised if, at the moment the ball
touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of
the referee, involved in active play by:
* interfering with
play or
* interfering with an opponent or
* gaining an advantage by being in that position
Offside is measured only at the instant the ball is passed, not when the ball is in flight or received.
The pass must come from a team mate. If a defender (or the goalie) mistakenly passes the ball to an opposing player in an offside position, there is no offside (the pass came from an opponent, not a team mate). In determining whether a pass came from a team mate, deflections off defensive players are ignored. If a pass deflects off a defender and ricochets to a team mate in an offside position, it is still offside; the ball still came from a team mate. That is true even if the deflection completely changed the path of the ball. Only if the defender gains possession or control of the ball in mid-flight is there no offside.
No Offence
There is no offside
offence if a player receives the ball directly from:
* a
goal kick or
* a throw-in or
* a corner kick
The offside player
must actively participate in the play. This is the hardest element
of the Offside Rule to apply. A player in an offside position on
the right hand side of the field is not offside if the ball is
passed down the left sideline. A player standing in an offside
position in front of the goal is not offside if the ball is
dribbled by a teamate past all the defenders (as long as that
player does not interfere with the play). Furthermore, a player in
an offside position is not offside if a teammate takes a shot on
goal that whistles past that player (unless they reach out to trap
or deflect the shot in progress. In each case, the player was in an
offside position, but did not actively participate in
play.
Infringements/Sanctions
For any offside
offence, the referee awards an indirect free kick to the opposing
team to be taken from the place where the infringement
occurred.
No ifs or but or maybes...
There is no offside unless the referee blows the whistle. If offside was not called, play will continue - whether offside should have been called or not. As we all know, whether right or wrong, the referee is always right.
Quiz
What would you call in the following examples? The team trying to put the ball in the target goal are represented by a 'x', the other team by 'o' and the ball by a full stop.
X. O --+
| target
X O | goal
|
--+
Example 1
X. --+
| target
X O | goal
|
O --+
Example 2
Example 1: Here the player X on the left has the ball, and kicks it to the other player x. This is NOT offside because there are two members of the other team (one of whom is probably the goalkeeper), further along the pitch than the second x player.
Example 2: Here there IS a potential violation of the offside rule. If the left-most player X were to pass the ball to the other x player, it would be offside as there is only one opposition team member closer to the goal than him. Even if he has moved to put himself back onside by the team he receives the ball, the linesman should still flag offside and a free kick will be awarded to the 'o' team.