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Offside is a Law in association football which effectively limits how far forward attacking players may be when involved in play. Simply put, a player cannot gain an advantage by waiting for the ball near the opposing goal with only the goalkeeper between him and the goal (only in the usual situation that the goalkeeper is the last defender). A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ...
United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ...
Look up Offside in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
The Laws of the Game (also known as the Laws of Football) are the rules governing a game of association football (soccer). ...
“Soccer†redirects here. ...
The offside is perhaps the most complex of the football rules, and people not familiar with the game often have difficulty in understanding it, a situation not improved by recent "clarifications" to the rule.[1] As understanding the rule is considered central to being a "proper" or "real" football fan, there is a running joke in Germany, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Brazil that women are unlikely to understand the rule (because they are seen as not liking football).[2][3] An advertisement for chocolate played on this stereotype, provoking official complaints.[4]
Application The application of the offside rule is best considered in three steps; Offside position, Offside offence and Offside sanction.
Offside position
 The blue forward on the left of the diagram is in an offside position as he is both in front of the second to last defender (marked by the dotted line) and the ball. Note that this does not necessarily mean he is committing an offside offence. A player is in an offside position if "he is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second to last opponent," unless he is in his own half of the field of play. A player level with the second to last opponent is not in an offside position. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, and formerly inside forwards, are the players on a team in football in the row nearest to the opposing teams goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals. ...
In 2005 The International Football Association Board agreed a new Decision in Law 11 that being 'nearer to his opponent's goal line' meant that "any part of his head, body or feet is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent. The arms are not included in this definition." [5] This is taken to mean that any part of the attacking player named in this Decision 2 has to be past the part of the second last defender closest to his goal line (excluding the arms) or past the part of the ball closest to the defenders' goal line. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) (also known as or simply The International Board) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football (soccer). ...
In general, what this means is that either the attacking team should ensure the opposing team having at least two players (of which the opposition's goalkeeper is included) in between the goal line and the nearest player of the attacking team, or all players of the attacking team should be behind the ball such that it remains closer to the goal line than any of the player of the attacking team. If the goalkeeper is ahead of the play, then the forward will have to be in line with or behind two defenders (considering they are not in their own half).
Offside offence A player in an offside position is only committing an offside offence if, "at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team", in the opinion of the referee, he is involved in active play. A player is not committing an offside offence if the player receives the ball directly from a throw-in, goal kick or corner kick. A throw-in is a method of restarting play in a game of association football (soccer). ...
A goal kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football (soccer). ...
In association football a corner kick is awarded if the defensive team is the last to touch the ball before it crosses its own goal line (goal line of the end of the field it is defending) outside of the goal itself (whether by kicking or off the hands of...
In order for an offside offence to occur the player must be in an offside position when the ball is touched or played by a team-mate; a player who runs from an onside position into an offside position after the ball was touched or played by a team-mate is not penalised.
Similarly, a player who is in an offside position when the ball is touched or played by a team-mate may potentially commit an offside offence even if they run back in to an on-side position before receiving the ball. This potential remains until a teammate again touches or plays the ball and offside position is reevaluated, or the ball goes out of play, or an opponent makes a controlled play on the ball. A player formerly in offside position who benefits from an ill-advised but deliberate play by an opponent is not judged offside.[6]
Determining whether a player is in "active play" can be complex. FIFA issued new guidelines for interpreting the offside law in 2003 and these were incorporated in law 11 in July 2005. The new wording seeks to more precisely define the three cases as follows: This article is about an international football organization. ...
- Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a teammate.
- Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.
- Gaining an advantage by being in an offside position includes playing a ball that rebounds to the player off a post or crossbar or playing a ball that rebounds to the player off an opponent having been in an offside position.
In practice, a player in an offside position may be penalised before playing or touching the ball if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball.
The referees' interpretations of these new definitions are rarely controversial. When it does happen, it is largely over what movements a player in an offside position can make without being judged to be interfering with an opponent. The famous quote: "If he's not interfering with play then what's he doing on the pitch?" is attributed by some to Bill Nicholson. Playing in his only international Bill Nicholson OBE (26 January 1919 - 23 October 2004) was an English football player, coach, manager and scout who devoted his life to Tottenham Hotspur in North London. ...
Offside sanction The sanction for an offside offence is an indirect free kick to the opposing team, at the spot where the offence occurred. Most referees use their discretion and let play go on if the "offended" team already has the advantage or ball, in order not to slow down play with redundant free kicks that achieve the same purpose of giving the advantage or ball back to the "offended" team. This discretion should not be confused with the advantage clause, which can only be applied to Law 12. In essence, the referee who doesn't whistle offside must be judging that one of the elements of offside was not present. An indirect free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football (soccer). ...
Officiating In enforcing this rule, the referee depends greatly on an assistant referee, who generally keeps in line with the second to last defender in his relevant end (exact positioning techniques are more complex). An assistant referee signals that an offside offence has occurred by first raising his or her flag upright without movement, and then when acknowledged by the referee, by raising his or her flag in a manner that signifies the location of the offence: A referee presides over a game of association football (soccer). ...
In Association Football (Soccer), two Assistant Referees (previously known as linesmen) assist the Referee in controlling the match in accordance with the Laws of the Game. ...
- Flag pointed downwards: offence has occurred in the third of the pitch nearest to the assistant referee.
- Flag horizontal to the ground: offence has occurred in the middle third of the pitch.
- Flag pointed upwards: offence has occurred in the third of the pitch furthest from the assistant referee.
The assistant referees' task with regards to offside can be difficult, as they need to keep up with attacks and counter attacks, consider which players are in an offside position when the ball is played, and then determine whether the offside positioned players become involved in active play. The risk of false judgement is further enhanced by the foreshortening effect, which occurs when the distance between attacking player and the assistant referee is significantly different from the distance to the defending player, and the assistant referee is not directly in line with the defender. The difficulty of offside officiating is often underestimated by spectators. Trying to judge if a player is level with an opponent at the moment the ball is kicked is not easy: if an attacker and a defender are running in opposite directions, they can be two metres apart in a tenth of a second. A cube in two-point perspective. ...
History Offside rules date back to codes of football developed at English public schools in the early nineteenth century. These offside rules were often much stricter than that in the modern game. In some of them, a player was "off his side" if he was standing in front of the ball. This was similar to the current offside law in rugby, which penalises any player between the ball and the opponent's goal. By contrast, the original Sheffield Rules had no offside rule, and players known as "kick throughs" were positioned permanently near the opponents' goal. Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
// The offside rule in Rugby Union Offside rules in Rugby Union are particularly complex to the casual observer. ...
For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ...
The Sheffield Rules were a code of football devised and played in the English city of Sheffield between 1857 and 1878. ...
In 1848, H.C. Malden held a meeting at his Trinity College, Cambridge rooms, that addressed the problem. Representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester and Shrewsbury schools attended, each bringing their own set of rules. They sat down a little after 4pm and by five to midnight had drafted what is thought to be the first set of "Cambridge Rules". Malden is quoted as saying how "very satisfactorily they worked". Year 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...
Full name The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity Motto Virtus vera nobilitas Virtue is true Nobility Named after The Holy Trinity Previous names King’s Hall and Michaelhouse (until merged in 1546) Established 1546 Sister College(s) Christ Church Master The Lord Rees of Ludlow Location Trinity Street...
The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a public school (privately funded and independent) for boys, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, north of Windsor Castle, and...
Harrow School, (originally: The Free Grammar School of John Lyon; generally: Harrow), is an independent school for boys (aged 13-18), and is located in Harrow on the Hill in the London Borough of Harrow. ...
A view of Rugby School from The Close, the playing field where according to legend Rugby was invented Rugby School, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, is one of the oldest public schools in England and is one of the major co-educational boarding schools in the country. ...
Winchester College is a public school situated in the city of Winchester in Hampshire, in the south of England. ...
Shrewsbury School (formally known as King Edward VI Grammar School, Shrewsbury) is an independent school, located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. ...
Unfortunately no copy of these 1848 rules exists today, but they are thought to have included laws governing throw-ins, goal-kicks, halfway line markings, re-starts, holding and pushing (which were outlawed) and offside. They even allowed for a string to be used as a cross bar.
A set of rules dated 1856 was discovered, over a hundred years later, in the library of Shrewsbury School. It is probably closely modelled on the Cambridge Rules and is thought to be the oldest set still in existence. Rule No. 9 required three defensive players to be ahead of an attacker who plays the ball. The rule states: 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...
Shrewsbury School (formally known as King Edward VI Grammar School, Shrewsbury) is an independent school, located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. ...
If the ball has passed a player and has come from the direction of his own goal, he may not touch it till the other side have kicked it, unless there are more than three of the other side before him. No player is allowed to loiter between the ball and the adversaries' goal. [1] As football developed in the 1860s and 1870s, the offside law proved the biggest argument between the clubs. Sheffield got rid of the "kick throughs" by amending their laws so that one member of the defending side was required between a forward player and the opponent's goal; the Football Association also compromised slightly and adopted the Cambridge idea of three. Finally, Sheffield came into line with the F.A., and "three players" were the rule until 1925. // The First Transcontinental Railroad in the USA was built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ...
// The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ...
Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The change to "two players" rule led to an immediate increase in goal scoring. 4,700 goals were scored in 1,848 Football League games in 1924-25. This number rose to 6,373 goals (from the same number of games) in 1925-26. The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...
The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...
Throughout the 1987-88 season, the GM Vauxhall Conference was used to test an experimental rule change, whereby no attacker could be offside directly from a free-kick. This change was not deemed a success, as the attacking team could pack the penalty area for any free-kick, and the rule change was not introduced at a higher level. The Football Conference is a football league at the top of the National League System of so-called non-league football in England. ...
In 1990 the law was amended to consider an attacker to be onside if level with the second to last opponent. This change was part of a general movement by the game's authorities to make the rules more conducive to attacking football and help the game to flow more freely. Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...
In 2003, FIFA issued more stringent guidelines for penalising offside infringements, to encourage attacking play. As such, whether a player in an offside position is penalised depends on his actions and location. With this modification, attackers are no longer penalised when they get behind the defenders from an onside position while having a passive teammate in an offside position. Thus there are more goals scored through legitimate defence-splitting passes without being penalised.
Offside trap The offside trap is a defensive tactic. When an attacking player is making a run up the field with a team-mate ready to kick the ball up to him, all the defenders (except the goalkeeper) will move up-field in a relatively straight line in order to put the attacker behind them just before the ball is kicked, hence putting the attacker in an offside position when the ball is kicked. Defenders using this tactic often attempt to bring an attacker's potential offside status to the attention of the assistant referee, typically by shouting or raising their arm.
The use of the trap can be a risky strategy as all the defenders (except the goalkeeper) have to move up together in a relatively straight line, otherwise the attacking players will not be in an offside position as long as they are behind the goalkeeper and a defender that has not moved up; if the offside trap fails, the attacking players will have an almost clear run towards the goal. The 2003 rule changes have made it even more perilous as a tactic, since the definition of active play was made more stringent. Thus, teams attempting an offside trap are less likely to have an offside offence called when they have caught a player in an offside position if he is deemed by the referee to be not in active play.
One of the best-known defenders to employ the offside trap was Billy McCracken of Newcastle United. It is claimed his play pressured officials to modify the laws in 1925, reducing the required number of defenders between the attacker and the goal line from three to two.[citation needed] Billy or Bill McCracken (Born in Belfast in 1883 , died 1979) was an association football player , who played for the English club Newcastle United from 1904 to 1924, helping them win three League titles and the FA Cup. ...
Newcastle United Football Club (also known as The Magpies or The Toon) are an English professional football team based in Newcastle upon Tyne. ...
Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
References World Soccer is an English language football magazine published by IPC Media. ...
For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...
The New Statesman is a left-of-centre political weekly published in London. ...
Ofcom is a regulator for communication industries in the United Kingdom. ...
Nestlé® Yorkie® bar with its current slogan Its not for girls! Yorkie is a chocolate bar made by Nestlé. It was originally branded by Rowntrees of York, hence the name. ...
This article is about an international football organization. ...
YouTube is a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. ...
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