Question Number: 26100

League Specific 3/26/2012

RE: rec Under 11

Barbara Ledgerwood of Drumright, Ok United States asks...

IS there a rule in under 10 rec age group where the goaly can not bounce the ball more than once before punting it?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Not unless your local association has made up something.

There are rules in place that *after* the punt the ball must bounce before crossing the half line. In my opinion this wouldn't be necessary if they didn't put U-littles on fields that are way too small.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Barbara
In U 10 games competition organiser introduce competition rules to encourage play. It would be a very rare rule to prevent bouncing of the ball by the goalkeeper except that it is not a good habit for goalkeepers
However it is not unusual for a local rule to prevent the goalkeeper punting the ball the full length of the field of play.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Check your local and state association rules for a definitive answer - they should be posted on line. Generally, the keeper has 6 seconds to distribute the ball. If the keeper wants to bounce it several times in that time, they can. My colleagues note the general rules about punts in U-littles.