Question Number: 15568

Law 11 - Offside 5/22/2007

RE: Co-ed semi-competitve (volunteer ref) Under 11

Rick Fokkens of Port Colborne, Ontario Canada asks...

If an attacking player with the ball and a teammate are both past the last defenseman (called a 2 on nothing breakaway in hockey), if the player with the ball passes it to his teammate, who is behind the ball when it is passed to him, is that OK? Am I correct to assume that if the "receiving" player is ahead of the ball, he is offside, but if he is behind the ball, he is not offside?

Also, if I am correct in this assumption, does the teammate without the ball have to be behind the ball at ALL times even if he doesn't get the ball passed to him? I can see where the goalie could be distracted if an attacker (without the ball) is in front of his teammate and the teammate kicks the the ball directly at the goal. Or does it depend on how close the attacker without the ball is to the goalie so as to be considered interfering with play?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

There are 3 parts to being in an offside position, and all 3 must be true: (1) in the attacking half of the field, (2) ahead of the 2nd to last opponent, and (3) ahead of the ball. It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on the concept for only being a volunteer ref - ever think about getting your certification?

If one of the players is in an offside position and he is interfering with the goalkeeper's sight or movement, that would be the basis for an offside call to be made. It's not just playing the ball that constitutes involvement.

Please see Ref Fleischer's excellent paper on offside found on our main page.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

If a goalkeeper chooses to be distracted by an offside player he has made an unwise choice. He has chosen to divert his attention from the player with the ball -- usually this is a fatal error. It is not an offside offence.