Question Number: 31376

Law 8 - The Start and Restart of Play 3/21/2017

RE: Recreational Adult

Jason Tom of Leesburg, Virginia USA asks...

If you kick the ball on kick off right after the referee blows the whistle. Basically you shoot the ball at the opponents goal and score on the fist kick is that a goal?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jason
Yes that is a goal. A goal can be scored directly from a kick off. An own goal cannot be scored so the restart there in the unlikely event that it does happen is a corner kick.
By the way older referees will remember a time when a goal could not be scored directly from a kick off. the ball had to be played by a second player. I suspect some of that legacy thinking might be still around. I had a player hit the crossbar recently and one player thought that the goal would not have been allowed. He was mistaken.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jason ,
yup a good goal and maybe a look by the NFL to see if you want a job as a place kicker lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IUOn7esUI0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ScYl0Bf3S8

if you score on yourself off a kick off ( now that we can start th ball backwards) it is a corner kick restart!

You can also score on a GOAL kick as well.
On a goal kick it is a retake unless the ball exited the PA first then came back into the goal then it becomes a corner kick as well.

This was actually a free kick, hope it was for a foul not an iNDFK for offside as then the goal could not count lol

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/goalkeeper-scores-wonder-goal-goal-8767236

I saw a keeper actually punt a live ball and score in this he could score upon himself but he scored at the other end lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Clj5qJ5Xm8E

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Jason,
Yes, this would be a goal. The actual wording in the LotG is:

''a goal may be scored directly against the opponents from the kick-off''