Question Number: 30341

Law 11 - Offside 4/25/2016

RE: Club Under 15

Rich of Locks, CT US asks...

A player is in an extremely offside position (let say rubbing a cramp near his offensive 18) when a teammate goes to play the ball near mid field and it goes out off a defender for a throw in. The player picks up the ball and throws it immediately to the player down field creating a 1v1 with the keeper. Is the player on sides as play was restarted with a throw-in?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Rich
Yes most certainly onside. The throw in is a new phase of play so the player cannot be offside from a throw in, goal kick or a corner kick.
Obviously a player in an offside position cannot participate in open play and he has to wait to be put onside by either the ball going out of play, the opponents gain complete control of the ball without interference from the player in an offside position or a team mate in an onside position commences another phase of play.
So being in an offside position is not an offence and the player is of no benefit to his team in that position. However on a TI the defending team then has a problem having left the player totally unmarked. That is the defending teams choice and now challenged to deal with it. In your example it is play on as there is no possible offside.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Rich,
A player cannot be penalised for offside if he receives the ball directly from the throw in. So, in this case, he would only be penalised if the throw-in touches a teammate before it goes to him (And he is still in an offside position at that moment).

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