Question Number: 16720

Law 11 - Offside 9/16/2007

RE: rec High School

eri of orland, illinois u.s.a asks...

I just got done playing a game where the girls were using an offsides trap and unfortunately, my team kept getting called. There must have been over 25 calls on offsides towards our team. Is there some sort of penalty that can go towards an offsides trap?

thanks, eri

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Yes there is a penalty involved in an offside trap! The penalty is you running a midfielder through to a long ball. They will stand there with their arms up drying their deodorant and you will get a goal from the midfielder. A team lives or dies by the offside trap. Your opponents lived today because your team didn't know how to beat them at their own game. You might want to have the owners fire your manager and get a better one...

Wait, wait, you don't have that option. Teach your coach how to beat the trap and then do it in a match and enjoy...

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

You can easily beat an offside trap. Simply have your fastest 2 attackers stay even with the opponents next to last defender and when the ball is kicked take off. Those that live by the offside trap often die by it.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Sometimes an offside trap works well because the assistant referees don't know what they are seeing and flag too early. Sometimes the game doesn't even have ARs, but then I can't imagine how an offside trap would work successfully. Sometimes the opponet doesn't understand what offside is, so they get trapped by their own ignorance. Sometimes, as my colleagues note, the trappers die by their own sword. However, if your team had this much trouble with a trapping defense, they must be slow learners. Take the advice offered by my colleagues and may you never have to endure another game like the one of which you wrote!

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Eri, There is no persistent infringement for getting into offside infringements or trying to set offside traps so an offside infringement will occur.
If an overeager AR flags simply for offside position then the AR requires some retraining but if the flag goes up because your team's offside positioned players involved themselves in offside involvement 25 times well then for 25 times nothing was learned? If the offside trap is that successful then the opponents require coaching in what it is and how to catch it out!

Some tips
offside position occurs first when your teammate last touches the ball. If as a player you were in the opponent's half of the field and you were closer to the opposing the goal line then the second last opponent then you are restricted from involving yourself in active play!

Your ONSIDE teammates are not restricted!

If the ball is hit towards you and you know you are offside positioned and thus restricted DO not attempt to play the ball and with no involvement there is no infringement.

You can unfortunately be caught out for interfering with an opponent just by your position but if you indicate to the referee or AR hey look I am not involved by moving away from the play it might help separate that possibility!

Your onside players can run onto the ball while the opponents are looking around with arms in the air expecting play to stop because they see you as offside positioned which is of its self NOT an offence!

You need to be taught tactically and hope the AR or referee is experienced enough to know this from that!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

If you are asking if there is (or should be) some rule that keeps an opponent from using the offside trap as an tactical defense, then the answer is no way, no how. I am going to assume that the ARs for your match judged rightly regarding their decisions for offside or no offside. Your team and players got beat because the other team worked very hard in practice to perfect a good offside trap. That is not an easy thing to do. And from an ARs perspective, it's a difficult task keeping up with a very active defense.
The offside trap is as much a part of the game as a "give and go," a "pass to space," or taking the ball down the side and crossing it to the back post. Team's get beat by those tactical moves all the time. Your best bet is to learn from this event and go out prepared next time. Take the advice of my colleagues or do your own research about beating the offiside trap. There is plenty of information out there to show you how to do this.

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

See Question: 17280