Question Number: 17284

Law 16 - Goal Kick 10/13/2007

RE: lsl premier sunday Adult

christopher rossiter of dublin, ireland asks...

can you be offside from a goal kick meaning a goalkeeper kicking it to his forward cause i had a ref blow up for it today and i thought you couldnt

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

When a player says goal kick I always wonder if he is referring to the restart of play that happens after a member of the attacking side last touches the ball and it crosses the goal line. If that is what you mean then there can be no offside offence if a player receives the ball from that restart of play. If a player means the keeper has made a save and carries the ball to the top of his penalty area and kicks the ball up field then an offside offence is possible.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

As Ref Fleischer notes, there is a huge difference between the restart of play called a goal kick and a kick made by a goalkeeper (like a punt) during play. With the former, a goal kick, the ball is placed somewhere in the goal area for the restart, and it is kicked by a member of the defending team. From this restart, a player receiving the ball directly from the kick cannot be called for offside. On the other hand, if the keeper has the ball in his hands after a save, for instance, and then punts the ball down the field, a player on his team can definitely be called for offside. Hope that clears it up.

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