Question Number: 13497

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 8/15/2006

RE: Intramural Under 12

Patrick Trombly of Winthrop, MA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 1690

I'm still pretty confused on the "impede progress" rule. At one point you seem to say that as long as the defender is going for the ball, the fact that she gets in the way of the other player is OK - just from a practical standpoint, whoever gets there first is highly likely to be in the other player's way... It's "not hockey" but it's not basketball either. If the offensive player is driving down the field at a rapid clip there'll be a good yard or two between her and the ball - can the defender slip into the middle of that yard or two and tap the ball to a team-mate or can't she? And if she tries but the offensive player chips the ball around her, does the defender, who has in fact gone for the ball, have some duty to now get out of the offensive player's way? I don't know - if you're trying to take the ball away from someone, you're going to get in their way. If you're trying to outrun someone to the ball, then by definition you're going to cross their path.

Also, does this apply only to an offensive player with the ball? If my team has a throw-in, I'd like to have my players line up next to the opposing players - between the opposing players and the net we're shooting for - and then send one forward running down the sideline and have the throw go to her, with the "pick" giving her an extra second or two head start. Any contact would be if the other team's players ran into my players. I don't know, this seems a lot less like "ugly soccer" and a lot more like strategy.

It also seems pretty new to me - I played for several years, and I did little else - I took the ball away from the other guy by getting between him and the ball, I tapped it to a team-mate who booted it upfield. We never got "called" for anything - we were given pats on the back for playing tough defense.

I'm inclined to teach my kids to play like I did.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Football is a contact sport not a collision sport. The contact made in this Game is limited to a fair charge, shoulder to shoulder, or in the case an opponent is impeding [read getting in the way] the contact may be chest to back. If the contact can not be avoided, in other words it is accidental, it is not foul play because a charge must be, at least, careless to be foul play.

A player may not just get in the way and prevent an opponents movement on the field, this is holding. Here the act itself is foul play. Conversely, a player may not run through an opponent standing still. In this Game we are entitled to the ground on which we stand.

Teach your kids the Law and how to play within the Law, this will give them a huge advantage. Teach then to bend things and sooner or later you will find a referee who will not allow it and bad things will happen to your side, think Italy:USA last June...

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If you took me to say that as long as a defender was going for the ball it's ok for her to impede the progress of her opponent, I apologize for not being clear. If she gets the ball and then stands there in the way of the opponent and contact occurs, it's holding. If no contact, it MAY be impeding. Likewise the opponent has some responsibility to try to avoid a collision if possible. there's a wonderful video called "Myths Of The Game" that has a good part on impeding. I recommend this video to all coaches. The only out of date part, I think, is they say the keeper can only takes 4 steps before releasing the ball. As you know, this was changed to 6 seconds. I agree with Ref Fleischer. I wouldn't train your players to set picks on a throw-in. I certainly wouldn't allow it and your players will be much better off if you teach them the Laws. Teams that know the rules invariably do better than those that don't. Besides, you can have your forward take off down the line legally and she'll still have a head start

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

See Question: 13641