Question Number: 17989

Law 17 - Corner Kick 11/23/2007

RE: AYSO Under 11

christopher Sliney of Encino, CA United States of America asks...

Regarding a corner kick...this is one of those almost silly questions...but it did come up today.

We were playing a short corner, both offensive players in the arc--not on purpose, that's just where the 2 girls chose to stand. Player A kickis gently to Player B, player B dribbles toward goal. The referee said only 1 player may be in the arc on a corner kick. This is purely hypothetical, but why can't I have 3 or 4 players in that arc?? Who cares? And where does it explicitly state this?

thanks in advance for your reply.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

There is no such rule. Please contact your AYSO authorities so they can inform this referee. AYSO refs have a special place reserved for themselves in heaven - I can't imagine doing it as a volunteer. Even so, volunteers need to get it right as much as those of us who get paid.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

NO question is silly if you need it answered.
My colleague is spot on. The number of players is not really relevant only to the extent it obscures a referee from visually seeing the ball being kicked and moved. While the referee was in error conjuring up this potion of make-believe I can only hope he let you retake it? Or did he award the ball to the opposing team?
Report the incident to league authorities and we can hope the corrected information is applied by those who train the referees in your area.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Your referee was WRONG. The kicking team may have as many as they want in the arc. The defenders all need to be at least 10 yds from the arc.