![]() ![]() (The goalkeeper is usually the last defender… but nothing in the rules says one of the two defenders playing the other team onside HAS to be a goalkeeper.)īefore you yell “offside, ref!” the next time, ask yourself: how many times you are REALLY looking at the second-to-last defender from this 90-degree angle at the exact time the ball is played in the direction of an attacking player? The angle is 90 degrees from the touchline to the second-to-last defender. What the image above does show is the BEST angle to make a judgement of offside eligibility. He is playing it to the onside player, but had he done so towards the offside player then the odds of the flag going up are high… even though per “actively involved” rules the call REALLY depends on what that offside “position” player does once the ball is played! If he stops his run and raises his hand, then other players coming from onside positions are able to pursue the ball without a call being made. Images like the one above don’t help a much for a live game, but if you look closely you can see the player in the act of kicking the ball forward. ![]() At a much simpler level, the biggest mistake made by the majority of youth soccer parents at local games is even really understanding the rule about where a player can be “when the ball is played” that makes them eligible to be called offside at all. Much of that nuance is debated in referee circles and with players on the field. A majority of the debate takes place around interpreting if the alleged offending player was “actively involved” in the play.Įven at the professional level, different referees interpret this differently, with some waiting for a player to physically touch the ball, while others still raise the flag as soon as the player runs in the general direction of the ball. The “interpretation” of offside (not offsides as some referees will remind you) is worthy of an entire book on an annual basis, so we can’t dig too deep here on that nuance. ![]() Your new and improved “Soccer IQ” may just help swing things your way: 1. ![]() So before you attend your next game, be sure you know these five commonly misunderstood rules. The only thing worse than criticizing a referee for one of their mistakes is criticizing them when it’s actually YOU who are wrong. You’re never going to get a call changed. But when we criticize referees, it very rarely has a positive outcome. It’s certainly human nature to be disappointed when things don’t go your way… and with our kids it can be much harder to really be objective. But despite the best intentions in the car on the way to the game, once the whistle blows, those plans can quickly go out the window far too often in the stands or on the sidelines of fields and gyms all over the world.Īt some point, every parent blurts something out, cheers the wrong “call,” or jumps in on the boo chorus that often spreads without anyone really understanding exactly what just happened. Parents all know they’re not supposed to yell at referees. “… Parents embarrass themselves at every game.” Referees ruin games.”īut in most youth games, you could easily add: ![]()
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