Question Number: 22730

Law 1- The Field 1/18/2010

RE: Rec Adult

Adam Wolstenholme of Manchester, England asks...

I was reffing a game on Sunday and an accident occured which i didnt know what the law was. A throw in was taken but struck a tree on entry into the field of play, the branch was overhanging the pitch. What should i have done, i allowed play to continue?

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Absent a specific ground rule otherwise, a branch over the field of play is treated as part of the field - much like a stone, twig or sprinkler head. Allowing play to continue was correct.

Answer provided by Referee Tom Stagliano

Referee Wolstenholme

Referee Wickham is spot on. There needed to be a ground rule decision before the game commenced.

Whenever I inspect a field, I stand along each goal line and each touchline and check to see if there are any overhanging trees.

If there are overhanging tree limbs, I get the two captains (adults) or coaches (youth) together and we come to an agreement.

A typical agreement is: 'If, in the referee's opinion, there was insignificant contact (brushing leaves, minor twigs, etc.) then the ball remains in play. However, if there is significant contact, (in the opinion of the referee) then the ball is ruled out of play and the restart is a throw-in, corner kick or goal kick for the opposing team (depending upon whether the tree overhangs a touchline or a goal line). This has worked for me for over 38 years. I never have had a ground rule where a drop-ball is required. Invariably the teams want a restart for the opposing team.

This works fine for trees overhanging touchlines. For a tree overhanging a goal line, it is merely a matter of time before someone is unhappy with the stoppage.

In every case I report the 'ground rule' in my game report (Clearly) and indicate that the league should recommend trimming the tree back to prevent interference. This has worked.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Wolstenholme
This is referred to as a pre-existing condition and in my opinion its needs to be treated very carefully as it can cause all sorts of problems for referees. The Law allows for a number of options.
Option 1. Allow play to continue. As it is not an outside agent then the ball hitting a pre-existing condition can be treated as a 'rub of the green' and teams accept the outcome. This is fraught with problems if it is not highlighted to both teams in advance that play will continue. For example a player throws the ball back to the goalkeeper, ball hits an overhanging branch, falls to the opponents who mount an attack and then dispatch the opportunity into the goal. That decision will cause a lot of hassle if it is not agreed in advance.
Option 2. Stop play and restart with a dropped ball from where the ball dropped to the ground. Again if it is agreed that this will be the decision it can be the safest solution. You may recall in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, England was playing Paraguay at the Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt where Paul Robinson hit the video cube score board, that hangs high above the centre of the field of play, with a punt out of the hands. The referee stopped play and restarted with a dropped ball where it fell to the ground. I have had to do this on a few occasions where power lines crossed the field of play and the ball struck the wires from goalkeeper punts. It takes the 'luck' out of who the ball falls to and IMO is the safest decision.
Option 3. Not in the Law book but if it is a restart such as a throw in then the referee could stop play and say to the players that we will have the restart again. Technically once the ball is in play then the restart must be a dropped ball if the referee stops play for this. It is a Law 18 decision and I don't believe teams will have a problem with that if it agreed in advance.
In your case you went with Option 1 and it worked out okay and is correct in law. Option 2 is also correct in law while Option 3 is not but will work.
Finally it is a matter of reporting this pre-existing condition to the League to ensure that the club/council cut back the trees to remove the condition.

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

Adam, the one thing that you should have done is inspect the field before kickoff. This would have resolved how to handle your situation.
Whether it is rugby uprights, sprinklers, a muddy corner area or too short corner flags you must anticipate and find solutions for problems before they become controversial.
The Laws of the Game (LOTG) obviously do not cover overhanging branches but at the rec level we must find solutions. A simple "I will decide if it effected the play " or "I will allow the corner kick to be taken 1m away from the unplayable muddy area" is quite acceptable but not in the LOTG. The key is to do it before the game. No reasonable team will refuse to accept the referee's decision.
The Boy Scouts motto has it right: Be Prepared!

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Important take home message is EVERYBODY needs to know what the rules are before the game starts. In the US we treat balls that hit overhanging limbs as being in play unless the ball goes out of play after the ball hits the limb