Question Number: 35675

High School 8/29/2024

RE: School High School

Tawsha of La conner, Wa Us asks...

On your goal kick can the defense be in side the goal box to receive a ball without the audience right on their back? Or does the defense need to be on the outside of the goal box?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Tawsha,
thanks for asking.
On a goal kick the defenders can be anywhere they wish inside or out of the 18 yard PA, only the opposition are required to exit. The 18 yard Penalty Area has within it a 6 yard goal area, from anywhere within that 6 yd area, a goal kick originates as the restart spot. Upon the restart, the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves so any defender inside the goal area or PA can play that ball right away it does not have to leave the PA . The opposition can immediately renter the PA to challenge once play has restarted.
The defenders can CHOOSE to go ahead and restart with their opponents inside but they can not be upset should the opposition intercept as practicality they need some time to leave! So as long as they are in the process of trying to leave they would not be held accountable.

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Tawsha
There was a time when the ball had to leave the penalty area to be in play. If the ball was played for a second time inside the penalty area by either team the kick was retaken.

That has all changed with Law and Rule changes. Only attackers cannot play the ball until it leaves the penalty area and attackers must be outside the penalty area. That though does not prevent a referee from allowing play to continue when the defending team are not impacted by the position of attackers who are moving out of the area on say a quick kick.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Tawsha,

Thanks for the question.

On their own goal kick, defenders can indeed receive the ball inside the penalty area (aka 18 yard box) or for that matter, the goal area (aka 6 yard box). Law 16, which governs goal kicks, says that, "Opponents must be outside the penalty area until the ball is in play," and that, "The ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves." Since only opponents must remain outside the penalty area until the ball is in play, that means the defenders are allowed to play the ball even when they are inside the penalty area.

The law does also say that if the goalkick was taken quickly and the opponents have not had the opportunity to leave the penalty area in time, the referee allows play to continue. However, if one of those opponents touches or challenges for the ball, the goal kick is retaken.

Defenders being allowed to play the ball before it leaves the penalty area at a goal kick is a relatively recent change to the law, having being introduced in 2019. In the explanation issued by the IFAB at the time they stated that:

"The experiment that at a goal kick the ball is in play once it is kicked, and does not have to leave the penalty area, has created a faster and more dynamic/constructive restart to the game. It has reduced the time ‘lost/wasted’ including stopping the tactic of ‘wasting’ time when a defender deliberately plays the ball before it leaves the penalty area knowing that all that will happen is the goal kick will be retaken."