Question Number: 25815

Law 13 - Free Kicks 12/5/2011

RE: intermediate Under 15

Brad Bartram of Burbank, Ca USA asks...

if on a idk, the ball goes out of bounds after the idk is taken and before it is touched by a player, is the restart a throw in or a re-take of the idk?

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

The ball is in play as soon as it is kicked and moves - the only issue is that a goal cannot be scored until it's touched by a 2nd player. Aside from that, it's just like any other ball that's in play.

That means if it crosses over the touch line to leave the field, the restart is a throw in.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

IDK restarts have two parts: 1) when the ball is in play and 2) when the ball can score.

If the ball is kicked and moves, it is in play, and thus when it leaves the field over a touchline, the only possible restart is a throw-in. If the ball had been put into play and exited over the goal line into the goal having not touched any other player, either team, then the restart has to be either a goal kick or a corner kick, depending on who took the kick.

So, as the above example illustrates, the ball that exits over the goal line untouched by another player cannot score, even though it was in play because #2 above has not occurred. This is what 'indirect' means - the ball takes an indirect path into the goal, in that it does not go directly in, it must touch another player (either team) first.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

As my colleagues noted, if the ball goes out of play over the touchline directly after a free kick,it's a throw-in. It's good to think of things like this before they happen to you on the field. Once it happens, you think something has to be done - but WHAT?

Indirect free kicks can confuse us when they don't look like typical IFK's. I had one team that was adamant that the IFK was taken incorrectly when the first touch wasn't a tap.

One time when my daughter was learning, she correctly awarded an indirect free kick. The team kicked it directly into goal. She knew it wasn't a goal - but how to restart? She couldn't come up with what to do, so she had them redo the IFK. On the way home, I got her to think about it by saying, 'The ball went over the goal line, last touched by an attacker, but a goal was not scored ...' 'Oh, it should have been a goal kick!'

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The ball is in play when it is kicked and moved. The requirement at an IDFK that the ball touches another player only has to do with when a goal may be scored. It has nothing to do with the ball being in or out of play,


Since the ball was in play if it went over the touch line the restart is a throw in. If it went over the goal line, the restart is a goal kick or corner kick depending on who took the kick

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Brad
On any free kick the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves. As the ball was last touched by the team taking the indirect free kick the throw in is awarded to its opponents.
The only difference on an IDFK is that a goal cannot be scored directly from the kick.