Question Number: 18434

Law 16 - Goal Kick 2/26/2008

RE: rec Under 11

Lorne Gerrard of Delta, Bc Canada asks...

My daughter was playing a game (u-11 cup play - 8 a side) the other day and the other team was taking their goal kicks from the 18 yard box as opposed to the goal crease. The other coach apparently had a rule allowing this ??? have you ever heard of this??? Let me know please.

Thanks, Lorne Gerrard

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Only in Canada you say? Pity! I have no idea how a coach could have his own set of laws. It is true there are variations at the youth level and some are bloody awful, weird and unneccessary filled with good intentions to adjust the fairness meter for the youth but to put it bluntly this sounds like crap! You need to have a LEAGUE Policy review all laws whatever their modification need to be applied equally!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

To give a friendly counter to my colleague's rant:

We do have a league policy. One of the things allowed to be modified for youth play is the size of the field. Our U11's and U12's play 8v8 on a field that is 80 or 90 yards long. The penalty area is shrunk in proportion to be 14 yards from the goal, not 18. For the U10's and U8's, we do away with the goal area altogether. (Actually the rule is written that the goal area and penalty area are both the same size - thus the league has modified the size of a portion of the field rather than eliminating it.)

And the reason this is done, is to reduce those multiple retakes of goal kicks when a player cannot get the ball past the 18 into play. It's a good policy in my mind - it's just that the league must make the policy, not an individual coach.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The Laws are the same for all concerned. The referee ensures that during the match. I'm surprised there were two ways of restarting play during the match.

Regards,