Free Kicks

Free Kick, Indirect (IFK)

An indirect free kick is awarded if a player:

• Plays in a dangerous manner

• Impedes the progress of an opponent without any contact being made

• Is guilty of dissent, using offensive, insulting, or abusive language and/or gestures or makes other verbal offenses

• Prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from the hands or kicks or attempts to kick the ball when the goalkeeper is in the process of releasing it

• Commits any other offense, not mentioned in the laws, for which play is stopped to caution or send off a player

• Offsides

• Delay of game

• Intentionally heading the ball in age groups younger than u12

Free Kick (Indirect, Involving Goalkeeper)

An indirect free kick is awarded if a goalkeeper, inside their penalty area, commits any of the following offenses:

• Controls the ball with the hands for more than six seconds before releasing it

• Touches the ball with the hands after:

  • Releasing it and before it has touched another player

  • It has been deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by a team-mate

  • Receiving it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate

Free Kick, Direct (DFK)

A direct free kick is awarded if a player commits any of the following offenses against an opponent in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless, or using excessive force:

• Charges an opponent

• Jumps at an opponent

• Kicks an opponent

• Pushes an opponent

• Strikes an opponent

• Trips an opponent

• Tackles or challenges an opponent

• Handles the ball

If one of the listed offenses occurs, the team that committed the offense is penalized with a direct free kick against them.

A direct free kick is a kick that can result in a goal without anyone but the kicker touching the ball prior to the ball entering the goal.

The Throw-In

• A throw in occurs when the ball goes out of bounds over the sideline

• A throw in must be performed with equal force from both hands, with ball starting behind the head

• Both feet must be touching the ground when the throw in occurs and out of the field of play

• if a player messes up a throw in, one retry may be taken before the ball is turned over to the other team (for u10 and below)

• Defenders can’t be closer than 2 yds to a throw-in

• Can’t score a goal directly from a throw-in

• Can’t be offside on a throw-in

Red and Yellow Cards

Caution (Yellow Card)

A player is cautioned if guilty of:

• Delaying the restart of play

• Dissent by word or action

• Entering, re-entering, or deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission

• Failing to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick (<10 yds), free kick (<10 yds) or throw-in (<2 yds)

• Persistent offenses (no specific number or pattern of offenses constitutes “persistent”)

• Unsporting behavior

• Too close (<2 yds) to a throw-in, free kick, goalkeeper throw or punt results in a yellow card

Send Off (Red Card)

A player, substitute or substituted player who commits any of the following offenses is sent off:

• Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO) by deliberately handling the ball (except a goalkeeper within their penalty area)

• Denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO) to an opponent whose overall movement is towards the offender’s goal by an offense punishable by a free kick (unless as outlined below)

• Serious foul play

• Spitting at an opponent or any other person

• Violent conduct

• Using offensive, insulting, or abusive language and/or gestures

• Receiving a second caution in the same match

The Penalty Kick

• A penalty kick takes place when an offense occurs that would normally be a direct free kick inside the penalty area

• A penalty kick only happens if an attacking team is fouled by the defending team inside the defending team’s penalty area

• A penalty kick is taken from the mark inside the goal area

• The referee must remove all players except for the kicker and the goalie from the penalty box

• The goalie must keep 1 foot on or behind the goal line and can’t move forward until the ball is kicked

• The referee will ask if the keeper is ready

• Once the goalie replies, the referee will blow the whistle signaling for the kick to be taken

If, after the penalty kick has been taken:

• The kicker touches the ball again before it has touched another player:

  • An indirect free kick (or direct free kick for deliberate hand ball) is awarded

• The ball is touched by an outside agent as it moves forward:

  • The kick is retaken unless the ball is going into the goal and the interference does not prevent the goalkeeper or a defending player playing the ball, in which case the goal is awarded

• The ball rebounds into the field of play from the goalkeeper, the crossbar or the goalposts and is then touched by an outside agent:

  • The referee stops play

  • Play is restarted by giving the ball to the goalkeeper (new dropped ball rule)

All players must not be closer to the goal than the ball

Penalty Kick Restarts After an Infraction Occurs

Kicking team foul:

• If the ball goes into the goal: retake the kick

• If ball does not go into the goal: IFK for defenders

Defending team foul:

• If the ball goes into the goal: kick off

• If ball does not go into the goal: retake the kick

Both teams foul:

• If the ball goes into the goal: retake the kick

• If ball does not go into the goal: retake the kick

The Goal Kick

• A goal kick occurs when the attacking players kick the ball over the goal line but it does not go into the goal

• The goal kick is taken by placing the ball inside the goal area and taking the kick forward

• The ball is in play as soon as it moves

The Corner Kick

• A corner kick occurs when the ball is kicked over the defending teams goal line by the defender

• The corner kick is taken by placing the ball on the arc of the corner and taking the kick

• Defenders must be at least 10 yds away from the ball

• Attackers can’t be offside

• Kick is a direct free kick

Handballs

• Handball is when a player’s hand or arm touches the ball

• The area of the hand/arm is from the bottom of a sleeve of a short-sleeve shirt to the finger tips

• It’s legal to use the upper part of the shoulder to touch the ball (see picture below)

• There are a couple of questions a referee thinks of before awarding the foul:

  • Was the handball intentional?

  • Did the player make the body bigger?

  • Was an advantage gained from the handball?

A Note on Handballs and Other Fouls

• It is important for a referee to identify and call out instances where physical contact gets out of hand, whether it's intentional or not. In particular the younger ages where players don't have the coordination and understanding to tell the difference between a clean tackle and a foul.

• Similarly, handballs may not be intentional but in instances where it gives the player an advantage the foul should be called even if it was not intentional.

• As a referee, consider that calling a foul is a way to educate the players and help them understand what is acceptable and what isn't so that physical contact doesn't get out of hand.