Question Number: 21486

Law 15 - Throw In 6/6/2009

RE: Rec Under 14

Mark of newville, PA USA asks...

If a ball is thrown in (blue) and then head butted back out by the opposing team (orange) and the player that threw the ball back in (blue) catches it out of bounds because she never came back in bounds, who should have the ball on the side lines to throw it back in?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Assuming the entire ball crossed over the entire line following the header by orange, blue would get the throwin. The ball doesn't have to touch the ground.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Mark, the term is headed, not head butted. Head butting is a form of striking and is cause for sending someone off the field for violent conduct.

Law 15 - The Throw-In says:

A throw-in is awarded to the opponents of the player who last touched the ball when the whole of the ball crosses the touch line, either on the ground or in the air.

So as long as the touch by the orange player was a legal touch (and heading the ball is a legal touch), the ball exited the field last touched by the orange player. This means the restart, a throw-in, is awarded to the team that did not touch it out - in this case the blue team.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Orange last touched the ball before it went out of play over the touchline. Doesn't matter who catches it as long as it was completely over the line and thus out of play. Throw goes to Blue.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

If the ball entered play as a correctly taken throw in by blue thrower then the opposing orange player headed the ball back out into touch to be caught by the blue thrower. We need to determine that the WHOLE of the ball was COMPLETELY outside the touchline when caught by blue. If this was true it is once again blue throw -in!

IF the ball was NOT YET completely outside the touch lines and was caught by the blue thrower it could be a DFK right on the touchline where it was caught for the foul of handles the ball deliberately. ALL of the ball must be outside the lines to stop play! Any portion in contact or overlapping the touch line the ball is considered in play, on the field!
Cheers