Question Number: 21864

Law 15 - Throw In 8/31/2009

RE: Competative Under 11

Rhonda of Bettendorf, Ia usa asks...

Who typically throws the ball in on throw-ins? The Midfielders, the forwards or the defense. My thought was that the midfielder or stopper who threw it in. I also thought it should be your strongest thrower? My daughters coach said forwards which makes no sense to me, you?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

This is primarily a coaching question, not a referee question. Ask it at a coaching site, and you'll likely get a far different answer. From the refereeing perspective:

It should be the player closest to the spot that takes the throw, to minimize delay. All players should be able to take throw-ins properly.

However, many teams seem to have throw-in specialists. If a team consistently delays the restart so this specialist can come all the way across the field to do what should be a simple restart, the referee may decide to caution someone for delaying the restart.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Every player should know how to perform a throw-in. Who actually takes it is up to the coach

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

There are various philosophies as to the answer to this question.

Some say that a back should take it when it's at the front of the field and a forward should take it in the defensive half, some would say the opposite. Some teams will just have one or two specialised takers (though everybody should be proficient at taking a throw in - sometimes there can be a huge tactical advantage in the nearest player taking it quickly instead of waiting for the specialised thrower to take it. Keep in mind that delaying too long in this fashion could earn the player involved a caution for delaying the restart of play).

Why don't you discuss it more with the coach to find out why he thinks it should be the forwards, and respectfully offer your views?

A google search should reveal a number of coaching sites and forums, any one of those should help you more. As Ref Voshol said, this is primarily a site regarding refereeing, the laws of the game and their interpretation and application.