Question Number: 26072

Law 16 - Goal Kick 3/16/2012

RE: Competive High School

Fred of Franklinton, NC USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 23524

I was under the impression, based on High School Rules, that all opposing players must be outside the penatly area and the ball must clear the area prior to being touched. What you are saying is that players do not have to clear the area unless it is clear there will not be a quick kick. Is this correct?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Opponents are expected to be outside the penalty area when the goal kick (or other defensive kick) is taken. But sometimes the kicker doesn't give them the chance to retreat, just as sometimes they don't have the chance to move 10 yards away from a free kick. If that is the case, they are absolved of their responsibility to move. However, they can't take advantage of their position to move to intercept the ball. Of course, if anyone touches the ball before it leaves the penalty area, the kick must be retaken. By that time all the opponents will have had ample time to leave.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Fred
On a quick goal kick it would be unfair to pervent the kick from being taken because some opposing players are still inside the penalty area. What cannot happen is that any player touch or intercept the ball inside the penalty area. In that case the goal kick is retaken.
NFHS has the same requirement for the ball to leave the penalty area to be in play on both goal kicks and free kicks and for all opponents to be outside the penalty area. In NFHS Law 16 is mute on the point of a quick goal kick with opponents still inside the penalty area while Rule 13 provides a play ruling in 13.3.1 Situation C which allows a quick free kick to be taken with opponents inside the penalty area and who subsequently get involved in play after the ball has left the penalty area and travelled the 10 yards. That is deemed to be legal. One could deduct from the Law 13 ruling that the same principle would apply to goal kicks that play would continue unless the ball was touched inside the penalty area.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Hi Fred. The question you reference dealt specifically with a goal kick and, no, that's not what we understand Rule 16 in NFHS or Law 16 in LOTG to say.

Ref McHugh points out that in NFHS Rule 13 deals with opponents still in the penalty area while Rule 16, Goal Kick, is mute. I would point out that the wording of Rule 13 is basically identical to Law 13 and the same is true for Rule 16 and Law 16. Also, the LOTG deal with opponents still in the penalty area in Law 13 but are also mute in Law 16.

To summarize, both FIFA and NFHS require all opponents to be at least 10 yards from the ball and outside of the penalty area on all free kicks leaving the penalty area but if a quick free kick is taken, opponents may still be inside the penalty area and not be penalized. However, if the ball touches ANY player before it leaves the penalty area the free kick must be retaken.

Both FIFA and NFHS require all opponents to be outside the penalty area at the taking of a Goal Kick. Both FIFA and NFHS are silent concerning the taking of a quick goal kick but if a quick goal kick is taken before all opponents are able to leave the penalty area, those players will not be penalized.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

The important point here is the ball is not in play until it has directly (meaning no intervening touch by anyone other than the kicker) left the penalty area on any defensive restart from anywhere within the PA - goal kick or free kick.

The opposing team should clear the PA as quickly as possible, and most of the time, the kick is not taken until they have. On the odd occasion when the opposing team has not completely cleared the area and the kick is taken, the referee team needs to be very alert to ascertain the whole ball does in fact clear the penalty area without touching any other player on its way out. If it does not, the kick must be retaken, as the ball was not correctly put into play.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 26079