Question Number: 22266

Law 1- The Field 10/17/2009

RE: Select Under 15

Brett Peavler of Brookfield, Wisconsin United States of America asks...

Team A has the ball and is attacking and A has a defender with a very strong leg and he is the one with the ball in his own half. Team B is on defense and is expecting the lob by defender from A. The lob is very high up and headed out by the touchline. The ball, BEFORE it breaks the plain of the touchline hits a tree which has a high branch hanging over the pitch which cannot be removed unless you had a ladder and a saw. The ball never breaks the plain and stays in play. Team B's coach and parents start arguing that the ball should be considered out because it was about to go out anyway if it weren't for the tree branch. I said the ball was still in because it never broke the plain of the touchline. What's the correct call here?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

The correct call here in my opinion is allow play to continue as the tree is part of the field of play as a natural field condition!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

From the USSF's Advice to Referees, section 1.8 (under The Field of Play, Law 1):

(c) Pre-existing conditions
These are things on or above the field which are not described in Law 1 but are deemed safe and not generally subject to movement. These include trees overhanging the field, wires running above the field, and covers on sprinkling or draining systems. They do not affect one team more adversely than the other and are considered to be a part of the field. If the ball leaves the field after contact with any item considered under the local ground rules of the field to be a pre-existing condition, the restart is in accordance with the Law, based on which team last played the ball. (Check with the competition forany local ground rules.)
Note: The difference between non-regulation appurtenances and pre-existing conditions is that, if the ball makes contact with something like uprights or crossbar superstructure, it is ruled out of play even if the contact results in the ball remaining on the field. Where there is a pre-existing condition (such as an overhanging tree limb), the ball remains in play even if there is contact, as long as the ball itself remains on the field. Referees must be fully aware of and enforce any rules of the competition authority or field owner regarding non-regulation appurtenances.

End of quote

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Peavler
In Europe the advice to referees is to advise teams, where there is a pre existing conditions such as overhanging wires, branches etc how that situation will be handled. My personal preference is to stop play and restart with a dropped ball when it hits the condition, unless it goes directly out of play.
I recall a field that had overhead cables running across it. In a game the ball hit the wires from a goal kick, falling to a forward in a very advantageous position. That would have been unfair and I stopped play and went with a DB restart. I had advised both teams and there was no complaint from either side.
I also recall in the 2006 WC in Germany in a game between England and Paraguay that was played in the Commerzbank Arena a goal kick from England goalkeeper Paul Robinson struck the video cube and bounced into play. The video cube hangs 25 m over the center of the pitch with four video screens, each with a surface area of 35 m2. The referee stopped play and restarted with a dropped ball.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerzbank-Arena