Question Number: 21951

Law 15 - Throw In 9/12/2009

RE: rec Under 13

tnelson of toronto, on canada asks...

what is the reason for the throw-in having to be made in such a specific way?
for instance, why is a baseball type throw or even an underhand throw not allowed?
my guesses are either that the rule is an attempt to limit how far the throw could go
or in order to reduce the risk of injury.
much appreciated,
tn

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

It's not so much to prevent injury. Rather, the throw-in was intended to simply be a way of restarting play, not an attack.

Way back when, the first player to touch the ball after it went over the sideline was the one to get the throw-in. This led to the terms 'in touch' = out of play and 'touchline'.

Also, throw-ins originally had to be thrown perpendicular to the touchline.

While some restrictions on throws have changed over the ages, it still remains as a non-attacking restart. Thus a goal cannot be scored directly on a throw-in.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The throw-in is simply a way to get play restarted once the ball has gone over the touchline. The manner in which FIFA has described the throw to be taken allows the thrower to get distance on the ball but as to why FIFA has detailed such a specific manner only FIFA knows. I doubt possibility of injury has anything to do with it. I will say that far too much emphasis is placed on it by coaches and parents. Most infractions during the taking of a throw-in are trifling and usually ignored especially at higher levels of play. At U little play where part of the referees duty is instructional the referee will usually remind the thrower to keep both feet on the ground and to throw the ball from behind the head. Some leagues allow a second try if the first is improper. But once the age group gets to U14 or so, unless the throw is taken grossly improperly, most referees will ignore trifling infractions.