Question Number: 33702

High School 10/10/2019

RE: High School Under 19

Bob of Seymour, IN USA asks...

IF a Keeper throws the ball up in the air above his and lets it hit the ground and bounce up...can he/she catch it after it bounces?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Bob
Rarely if ever do I see goalkeepers throwing the ball up in the air other than to release the ball to the ground. I see bouncing and holding in an outstretched hand yet never a throw up in the air other than to release the ball for a ground kick or a punt.
So for me the action reads like a release of possession and as the ball is likely to bounce it is not a bouncing that retains control. So IDFK should the goalkeeper touch the ball again with the hands.
In the past I have given the benefit to goalkeepers where the ball has slipped, bounced and picked up immediately all as part of a punt.
I have penalised attackers who have interfered on punts where the goalkeeper has thrown the ball up to punt yet impeded the goalkeeper in doing so. In that case it is an IDFK to the defending team.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Bob,
Personally I dislike the idea of bouncing the ball for if they mishandle it or it deflects off their foot or a bit of uneven or soft ground and the ball trundles away they will reach to grab just as readily as the opponent might try to challenge . Usually, when the keeper tosses the ball in such a way, it is considered as a release in that it is a set up for being punted down field . We are far more likely to be OK with a basketball dribble or a two handed waist high dribble then tossing it up as if getting ready to release
Now we must decided INDFK for a 2nd touch after an inadvertent release or it was a ugly bounce within the 6 seconds? I lean INDFK out
Cheers

.

Answer provided by Referee Joe Manjone

Bob,

High School Rules NFHS 12-7-1 indicate that once a goalkeeper has control of the ball, he/she may throw the ball in the air and catch it, bounce it, or hold it. Throwing the ball in the air above the head and letting it hit the ground is not a bounce. A bounce is similar to a dribble where the ball is pushed to the ground and then comes up to the hand. Throwing the ball in the air and not catching it would be considered putting the ball in play.

If the goalkeeper throw the ball into the air and does not catch it before it hits the ground and then recovers it after it hits the ground, a violation occurred and an indirect kick is to be awarded to the opponents from the spot of the violation or if the spot is inside the goal area, from the part of the goal area line that runs parallel to the goal line and from a point that is closest to the spot of the violation.