Question Number: 31162

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 1/7/2017

RE: Under 13

Todd of USA, USA USA asks...

One of our smaller (yet fiesty) U12 girls has been called a couple of times for sticking her butt out towards the opponent while shielding...essentially making space. How does to LOTG interpret this action?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Todd,
Small feisty player with a big butt seems rather innocuous? Trying to visualize what sort of bum action creates a foul? All I can think of is a swoop hip check movement. Perhaps if she has her arms spread and is actually backing up into her opponent behind her, moving away from the ball , it could be deemed as holding. Most players tend to bend over the ball while sheparding it out or shielding it for say their keeper to get to it.
Cheers Happy New Year

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Todd
Very difficult to visualise this. Shielding is an act of of placing the body between the opponent and the ball, to keep the opponent away from playing the ball. It always involves physical contact due to the positioning of players.
Now when it becomes illegal is when the arms are used to push the opponent away or the ball is not within playing distance. I would say the most common offence is where the player allows the ball to go past and then steps across into the path of the opponent perhaps using a hip to do that with a leg step. If the ball is within playing distance it is seen as shielding yet when the ball has gone well past outside of playing distance it is holding foul. Many times it is not called as the ball may have left the field of play over the goal line before contact or the ball was deemed to be within playing distance. I would also say that backing in as a foul is also rarely called particularly if the ball is close to the shielding player.
As a general comment as a coach and a referee I see smaller players using actions to play the ball that are risky and they do them for fear of injury. One is tackling by turning backwards using the back of the leg and the other can be questionable shielding in a foolhardy manner. When you use *feisty* that can explain a lot to me as I seen many such small players over the years using risky action against larger opponents. These actions can be a danger to themselves and to opponents.
My advice is that if the player is being called for some action there is part of the action that is seen to be illegal and the player needs to adjust accordingly.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Todd,
As my colleagues have indicated, if the player is being called for her actions then there is quite probably something untoward about what she is doing. It's difficult to say without seeing the incidents in question but it sounds as if she is using her body in a slightly over-aggressive manner.

As for what the Laws say, well they don't specifically mention using the butt so you just have to apply the general principles as they relate to pushing, holding, shielding etc. Any use of the body that the referee considers to be, at a minimum, careless will result in a free kick.

I would say that when a player is trying to shield the ball it is always better if they can remain relatively passive - i.e. not make any overt moves whereby they push into the body of the other player. Most referees in my experience will call the foul against the player they perceive as the aggressor so if your player can adjust her style of shielding to ensure that it she is not seen as the one initiating the contact, that should go a long way towards avoiding getting a foul called against her.

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

See Question: 31164