Question Number: 25878

Law 16 - Goal Kick 1/9/2012

RE: competitive Under 12

Soccer Manager of Toronto, Canada asks...

On a Goal Kick, is there a time alotment? It was explained to my daughter it must be taken within six seconds of placing the ball on the field

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
There is no allotted time for the taking of a goal kick. The kick must be taken without delay and that is a matter for the referee to determine.
The six second rule you refer to is the time that the goalkeeper has to release the ball from her possession.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

There is no specified time. But, six seconds is a very long time. If a defender takes more than six seconds to take the goal kick, the referee is likely to warn (and on repetition caution) for delaying the restart of play. What is a reasonable time to take the kick is left to the discretion of the referee.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Goalkeepers must release the ball within 6 seconds after they have made a save and have the ball in hand.

While there is no specific requirement for a goal kick, the general rule is that you cannot waste time at any restart. Since 6 seconds are allowed for a punt, referees may feel that 6 seconds is also enough for a goal kick.

If a player repeatedly delays taking a restart (perhaps to try to run out the clock when their team is ahead), the player could be cautioned. However the referee should be able to put a stop to it if she simply informs the dallier that she is adding time on to compensate. I've said, 'The longer you take, the longer we all have to stay here.'

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

That would be wrong. During active play, once the keeper has the ball in her hands, she has 6 seconds to release it back into play. There is no set time limit for a goal kick