The Offside Rule

Monday, 08 October 2007

The offside rule is perhaps the most complex of the soccer rules, and people not familiar with the game often have difficulty in understanding it.

A player is in an offside position if the player is behind the second to last defender on the opposing players half of the field. Players cannot be in an offside position if they are on their own half of the field. A player EVEN with the second to last defender is not in an offside position. See diagrams below for examples.

There is no offence for just being in an offside position. For an offside offence to occur the player must be in an offside position when the ball is touched or played to them by a team-mate. In simpler terms, the player in the offside position is committing an offside offence when the ball is played to them NOT when they receive the ball. A player who is in an offside position when the ball is touched or played by a team-mate is committing an offside offence even if they run back in to an on-side position when receiving the ball. However, a player in an offside position is not committing an offside offence if the player receives the ball directly from a throw-in, goal kick, corner kick, or if the ball is passed by an opposing player. Watch the video to see an example of an offside offence.

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