Soccer Rules

Basic Rules:

1. If a defensive player commits a foul in the penalty area, a penalty kick will be awarded to the offensive team.

2. Only a goalkeeper can touch the ball with his/her hands and this should be done within their own penalty area.

3. A player is in an offside position if:

• when the ball is played by a team-mate, they are in the opponent’s half of the field, they are nearer to the opposition’s goal line than both the ball and the second-to-last opponent.

4. A ball that touches a player of the opposing team or defending team before going out, by passing over the goal line, on the ground or in the air, is restarted with a corner kick to the offensive team.

Free Kick Rules:

1. A foul by any player in a team, for example, handball or dangerous play, results in a free kick being awarded to the opposing team.

2. The ball must be stationary when a free kick is taken.

3. All defending players must be at least 9.15 m or 10 yards away from the ball until it is taken.

4. A goal kick is a free kick that is awarded to the defending team when the ball crosses the goal line without a goal being scored and touches any player of the offensive team last.

5. The goalkeeper must not kick the ball a second time, after taking the goal kick, until it has been played by another player.

Throw-In Rules:

1. Throw-in is taken by an opponent of the player who last touched the ball before it went out of play.

2. The thrower must use both hands.

3. The ball is delivered from behind, over the thrower’s head.

4. The thrower must not play the ball until it has been played by another player.

5. The ball is in play immediately after it is thrown and passes the touchline.

6. If the ball touches the ground before entering, the throw-in is retaken by the same team from the same position.

7. If the ball is not properly thrown, the throw-in will be awarded to the opponent.

8. If a player deliberately throws the ball at an opponent in order to play the ball again, but not recklessly or carelessly, the referee allows play to go on.

9. The ball must be thrown not dropped.

10. A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in.

Kick-Off Rules In Soccer:

1. Every player must remain in his own half of the field until the ball is played.

2. The players of the opposing team must be at least 9.15 m away from the ball.

3. The ball must be passed forward not backwards or kicked into the opponent’s half of the field.

4. The ball must make a complete revolution of its size or travel its circumference before it is considered to be in play.

5. The player who kicked the ball from the centre spot must not kick again until another player has kicked it.

 6. The ball must not be kicked before the referee’s whistle.

 7. The ball must be stationary at the centre spot before the kick-off.