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The Rules of Soccer are called Laws, there are 17 Laws in the game of Soccer, everything has a law. The pitch, the ball, the players and their equipment. Even the Referee, Law 5, and the Assistant Referee, Law 6. We won't get into all the laws here, this would take up too much room. What we will try to do is explain the basics and some signals you might see the referees making.
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The picture provides the names associated with the markings commonly found on a soccer field (or "pitch", as the English call it). The size of the field can vary; international matches are normally played on fields from 110-120 yards long and 70-80 yards wide. |
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THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS - Law 3
There are usually 11 players per team on the field. There are defenders,
midfielders, forwards, and one goalkeeper. Formations are described in
numerical terms, which specify the number of players in each area
starting with the defense and moving forward. The goalkeeper is a given,
so formations do not account for the keeper. For example, we might play
a 4-4-2 formation, which breaks down into four defenders, four
midfielders, and two forwards. There are many other formations possible,
such as 3-4-3 or 4-3-3. Each would break down as follows:
3-4-3: three defenders, four midfielders, and three forwards
4-3-3: four defenders, three midfielders, and three forwards
Player substitutions are allowed by the Center
Referee for a variety of reasons. To signal a player substitutions, the linesman, stationed on the touch line, will hold his flag with both hands above his head, with the flag parallel to the ground, until the substitutions have ended.
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AR Substitution Signal |
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THE BALL IN AND OUT OF PLAY - Law 9
In short, the ball is in play until it has completely crossed a goal line
or touch line, or the referee has stopped play. The ball is still in play
if it has struck a referee, goalpost, or flag (see picture). |
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OFFSIDE - Law 11
First of all, the term is "offside",
not "offsides". That's because a player can be off his or her side,
but never sides. Another way to remember this is to think of
the opposite case. It sounds silly to call a player "onsides", doesn't
it? It is correct to think of a player in either an "onside" or
"offside" position.
The offside law seems simple in concept, but it
can be difficult to accurately judge.
Basically, offside means that one or more members of the offensive team is closer to the defending team's goal line than both the ball and the 2nd to last defender when the ball is played forward. The goalkeeper normally counts as the last defender, so focus on the last field player on defense. If one of our players is closer to the opponent's goal line than the opponent's last field player without the ball, he is
offside.
The difficult part of calling offside is that the Referee and Linesman have to watch both the ball and the players.
Offside occurs when the ball is played forward and not before, so a referee needs to judge the position of the players when the ball was played forward. Keep in mind that older players can kick the ball greater distances, which means that sometimes the ball may be 30-50 yards behind the frontline players.
A player can be offside but play isn't stopped; if, in the referee or Linesman's opinion, the player in the offside position isn't gaining any advantage or interfering with the play, play will continue. An easy example would be
Adam on the far left side of the field in an
offside position but the ball is on the far right side of the field.
He cannot affect the play so play continues.
There are situations when a player cannot be
offside:
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in his own half of the field. As long
as the player stays on his side of the field, he cannot be offside,
even if all 11 of his opponents are hanging around his goal.
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directly receives the ball from a goal
kick. The ball was already in front of him, so it wouldn't matter how
many defenders are between him and the opponent's goal when he
received the ball
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directly received from a throw-in
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directly received from a corner kick
To view an interactive guide to Offside
Law 11,
click here (Note: This is an instructional guide published by FIFA
on www.fifa.com.) |
The Linesman, located on the touch line, will signal an
offside violation by stopping across from the point where
offside occurred and raise his flag straight up in the air. Once the referee has made the call (it is the referee's decision to stop play),
The Linesman will signal where offside occurred by pointing his flag in one of three positions:
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45° Up: On the far side of the field
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Parallel to ground: In the middle of field
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45° Down: In the near side of the field
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FOULS AND MISCONDUCT - Law 12
A player is shown the yellow card if he
commits any of the following seven offenses:
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is guilty of unsporting behavior
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shows dissent by word or action
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persistently infringes the Laws of the Game
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delays the restart of play
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fails to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick or throw-in
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enters or re-enters the field of play without the referee’s permission
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deliberately leaves the field of play without the referee’s permission.
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a player who removes his jersey or covers his head with this jersey when celebrating a goal must be cautioned for unsporting behavior.
A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the following seven offences:
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is guilty of serious foul play (in the opinion of the referee)
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is guilty of violent conduct
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spits at an opponent or any other person
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denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball. (this does not apply to the goalkeeper.)
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denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player's goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick
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uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
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receives a second caution (yellow card) in the same match.
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Referee displaying a yellow card
Referee displaying a red card |
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FREE KICKS - Law 13
A Direct free kick means that the team taking the kick can score directly off the kick - it does not need to touch another player (from either team) before entering the goal. A Direct kick is to be taken from the spot where the foul occurred unless any of the direct kick offenses (see below) occured in the penalty box. If the foul occurs inside the box, a penalty kick is awarded and is taken at the penalty kick spot (see the field diagram above).
A Direct Free Kick is awarded for the following offenses : (Law 12)
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kicking or attempting to kick an opponent
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tripping or attempting to trip an opponent
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jumping at an opponent
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charging an opponent
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striking or attempting to strike an opponent
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pushing an opponent
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tackling an opponent to gain possession of the ball, but makes contact with the opponent before touching the ball
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holding an opponent
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spitting at an opponent
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a player other than the goalkeeper handling the ball deliberately
An Indirect free kick means that the team taking the kick cannot score directly off the kick; the ball must touch another player (from either team) before entering the goal. The indirect free kick is taken from where the offence occurred. Unlike the Direct kick, a penalty kick is not awarded if an indirect foul situation occurs inside the penalty box.
The Advantage call ...
The "advantage" call is an acknowledgement by the referee that a foul occurred, but by stopping play, he would actually assist the team responsible for the foul, so he lets the play continue.
For example, assume that Player A has broken by a defender, who kicks out but catches Player A's leg instead of the ball. However, Player A maintains her balance and moves forward quickly beyond the defender; the Referee may acknowledge the foul but allows play to continue, recognizing that if he blows the play dead, the offending team will be able to regroup. The referee does have the authority to stop play and award a free kick if the anticipated advantage doesn't materialize (within a few seconds). |
In awarding a Direct kick, the referee will point his hand in the direction the kick will be taken.
In awarding an Indirect kick, the referee will hold one arm straight up in the air until the kick is taken.
When the referee moves both hands forward, underhand upward, he is making an "advantage" call.
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A Penalty Kick is awarded when a Direct Kick foul is called against the defending team inside the defending team's penalty box.
The Penalty Kick spot is located 12 yards directly in front of the goal. All players from both teams, other than the defending goalkeeper and the penalty kick taker, must move outside the penalty box and the penalty arc. They must remain outside these areas until the kick is taken, although the ball is live once the kick has been taken.
The advantage is clearly with the kicker, but so is the pressure. The goalkeeper must remain on the goal line until the penalty kick taker has struck the ball. Until a few years ago, the keeper was actually required to stand still until the kick was taken (generally, the referees would allow some movement). Although allowing the keeper to move left and right adds some assistance, the advantage is still clearly with the penalty kick taker.
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The referee will move towards and point to the penalty kick spot.
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Probably the easiest to understand, A throw-in is awarded to a team after an opponent has kicked or knocked the ball
completely over the touch line (or side line). In awarding a throw-in, the linesman will point his flag in the direction that the throw should be taken. The Referee will raise his arm in the direction that the throw should be taken.
The throw-in is taken by a player who must:
This player can not touch the ball again until it has been played by another player on the field.
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AR Throw-In Signal |
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THE GOAL KICK - Law 16
A goal kick is awarded to the defending team when a member of the other team has kicked the ball over the defending team's goal line (the lines where each goal is located), and has not scored a goal. The linesman, stationed on the touch line (or sideline) of the field, will point across the field towards the 6 yard box (goalkeeper's box) in front of the defending team's goal.
Restart for a goal kick:
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The ball is kicked from any point within the goal area by a player of the defending team.
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Opponents remain outside the penalty area until the ball is in play.
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The ball is in play when it is kicked directly beyond the penalty area.
The kicker can not touch the ball again until it has been played by another player on the field.
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AR Goal Kick Signal
Referee Goal Kick Signal |
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CORNER KICK - Law 17
A corner kick is awarded to the opposing team when a member of the defending team kicks the ball over its own goal line (the end of the field where the goals are located), and has not scored a goal. To signal a corner kick, the referee will point towards the corner from which the kick should be taken.
Restart for a Corner Kick:
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The ball is placed inside the corner arc at the nearest corner flagpost
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The corner flagpost is not moved
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Opponents remain at least 10 yds from the
corner arc until the ball is in play
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The ball is kicked by a player of the
attacking team
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The ball is in play when it is kicked and
moves
The kicker can not touch the ball again until it has been played by another player. |
AR Corner Kick Signal
Referee Corner Kick Signal |
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...and finally, you may hear a referee,
coach, player, or parent refer to the (imaginary)
Law 18.
This one is known as
COMMON SENSE.
Remember - it's a game! |
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