Question Number: 21675

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/21/2009

RE: Competive High School

Andrea Kebort of Conneaut Lake, Pa Crawford asks...

Husband is the high school girls soccer coach. Just read in the rule book that if the attacking team somehow kicks the ball long (for one example)- with the ball stopping outside the goalie box- the opposing teams goalie is permitted to dribble the ball back into the goalie area with feet and that point may pick the ball up with his/her hands. Has this always been the rule? ( only legal if the attacking team places the ball just outside the goalie area- we understand the illegal ruling regarding a situation where your own teammate passed it back purposely to their own goalie) Can you clarify- are we understanding this correctly?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Aside from there not being a 'goalie box/area'(*) on the field, you are understanding it correctly. The offense (Laws of the Game version, HS rules may have slightly different wording) is if the goalkeeper 'touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate'. The attacker is not a teammate, and the goalkeeper is not her own teammate. Thus there is no provision to prohibit a goalkeeper from handling the ball if she receives it from an opponent, even if she dribbles before picking it up.

(*) - there are two defined areas near the goal:
--- goal area, the smaller 6-yard area, which is used primarily for placement of goal kicks and inbound indirect free kicks
--- penalty area, the larger 18-yard area, which is where the keeper may handle the ball and where defensive fouls result in a penalty kick

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The keeper has always been free to get any ball played by the opponents outside her own penalty area, dribble it into her penalty area and pick it up with her hands.