Question Number: 26248

Law 15 - Throw In 4/27/2012

RE: Under 19

Steven of Sydney, Nsw Australia asks...

A player can take a throw any where behind the line , say he is 10-20 yards back thats legal as long as his feet are on the ground and faces the field and behind his head ?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Steven
That is not correct. The throw in is taken from the place where the ball left the field of play. There is a myth that teams can throw ins 10/20 yards back from the place nearer to their own goal. That is not correct. In fact there can be a significant advantage in doing so as there can be more space to control the ball, players may not be marked, the point of attack can be quickly changed etc.
Referees should be proactive here and when a player attempts to take the TI from the incorrect place to not allow that to happen but direct the player to the proper location.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

By 'back' do you mean farther from the goal, or distance from the touchline?

Either way, it is not allowed. The throw-in must be taken from where the ball leaves the field. In the US we are given direction that means a yard/meter in any direction - left, right, or back from the actual spot. Obviously refs have some discretion in the matter, especially when the ball leaves the field high in the air and the exact spot of departure is difficult to determine.

Players should take the throw from near to the correct spot. When they do not, it can be an unfair disadvantage to their opponents who are not expecting the throw-in to happen yet because the player is not in the correct location.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

No. The correct location is within one meter/yard from the touchline (where the ball left the field.) A referee may ignore a slight infringement, but never ten yards.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

No, that's one of the plentiful Myths Of The Game. The throw should be taken within a meter from where the ball crossed over the touch line.

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

See Question: 26277