Question Number: 30986

Law 13 - Free Kicks 11/1/2016

RE: competetive Under 13

James A. McGlynn of Bethpage, New York United States asks...

Hello,
On free kicks can players from team with the kick stand between the ball placement and the wall (10yds out), or does that 10 yards need to be clear of all players.
thank you very much.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The 10-yard restriction applies to opponents only.

Think about the classic scenario for an indirect kick. Two players stand near the ball, and one kicks (just slightly) the ball to the other.

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Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi James
The 10 yard exclusion zone only applies to opponents. So a team can place teammates anywhere inside the 10 yards. A typical example of this is the situation where a team places two players in front of the ball say some 4/5 yards to hide the ball from the goalkeeper. That is perfectly legal.

In this video there are a number of examples of this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BZXmSz9OAo

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Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi James,
Yes, the team taking a free kick can have players within 10 yards of the ball and no, the area within 10 yards of the ball does not have to be clear of all players, only the opponents.

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