the off side rule

[darren_brady@msn.com]

my team plays 7 a side at the momment but go to 11 a side next season, so i have arranged some friendlies in this format just to get them used to the different tatics and postitions. i am struggling to come up with a simple way of explaining the off side rule can anyone help

[Val]

How about (and I'm going to have the same issue next year when we go to 9v9):

Unless the ball is in front of you, you have to have two opposing players between you and the goal line.

Make sure for one of these friendlies that you can stop the game to illustrate the rule.

[74offsuit]

From the John Nic thread on elsewhere on the forum

The offside rule, which had worked perfectly well since 1927 and about which all concerned understood (except women without pipes or beards) has been tinkered with almost every year so that now no-one knows who is on or off half the time. We've all had to start wondering when the first phase becomes the second phase, and whether there is a third phase. What the hell is a phase anyway and how the hell can the balding, pink, junior civil servant who is running the line know what's going on? There was talk of a player only being offside if there was 'daylight' between attacker and defender, but I think that's been forgotten now...maybe because it didn't work at night. Madness.



To be honest, I'm not sure I understand the law fully myself, and try to avoid the question!

[nornirelad]

I got this email a while ago and thought it was very good. It can easily be adapted and made to suit either boys or girls of any age group. I'm not sure that it is detailed enough to fit all the new amendments but most of the referees I've met don't understand them either. It's a good fun way of getting the basics across.



The Offside Rule Explained for Ladies

You're in a shoe shop, second in the queue for the till. Behind the shop assistant on the till is a pair of shoes which you have seen and which you must have.

The female shopper in front of you has seen them also and is eyeing them with desire.

Both of you have forgotten your purses.

It would be totally rude to push in front of the first woman if you had no money to pay for the shoes.

The shop assistant remains at the till waiting.

Your friend is trying on another pair of shoes at the back of the shop and sees your dilemma. She prepares to throw her purse to you.

If she does so, you can catch the purse, then walk round the other shopper and buy the shoes.

At a pinch she could throw the purse ahead of the other shopper and, whilst it is in flight you could nip around the other shopper, catch the purse and buy the shoes, always remembering that until the purse had actually been thrown it would be just plain wrong to push in front of the other shopper.

[74offsuit]

Made me chuckle.

[Jerzy]

To complete the threadjack, reminds me of the line from Full Monty when the older guy is trying to get them all to come up in a line together and Horse says, "It's just like the Arsenal Offsides Trap" (which I now know who they're talking about), but I still don't know what they did that made it so unique to Arsenal.

[ian.curry]

Ask them the three situations where they cannot be offside - goal kicks, corners and throw ins.
Ask them if the keeper in on her/his line, how many defenders must you be behind.
Ask them if they can be offside when the ball is played back.

I guarantee they will know all three.

As I understand Darren, your team are very good, but regardless of ability I wouldn't get hung up on this issue. I am literally just introducing a plan to my lads as we go into 15's.
What has worked for me is that my fb's push up faster, but my cb's stay a yard or two behind the main strikers, so when the ball is played they don't hold their hand up - they simply collect it and clear it.

[Trev Knight]

As a former Nationwide Conference Official I hope I can help here.

Its always been the case that people overcomplicate this law when in reality its very easy.

1 - Are you behind the 2nd to last defender (the goalkeeper is included in this count)
2 - Are you gaining an advantage by being there?
3 - Are you interefering with play? (blocking vision, holding other players etc....)

Remember you cannot be offside in the following circumstances:

Corner Kick
Throw In
Goal Kick
Pass from the opposition
Inside your own half of the pitch
If two or more defenders are infront of you
If the ball is played to you by your own teammate backwards


The biggest error I have seen so many times is teams who stand still to appeal for the flag. Get your players into the habbit as early as possible to maintain play and listen for the whistle. I have lost count the number of goals conceded where defenders stand still, appeal to the flag whilst the attcker carries on and ultimately scores. When we are debriefed by video we can see the correct decision or incorrect (only sometimes ) but mostly the players standing still!!!

Hope this helps?

Trevor

[74offsuit]

I disagree it's very easy

2 - Are you gaining an advantage by being there?
3 - Are you interefering with play? (blocking vision, holding other players etc....)

These are open to a lot of interpretation

as is

Pass from the opposition

Because how do you easily define a pass?

[Kevin@themcmahons.biz]

I am a referee and the offside rule is probably the most contentious issue I deal with each week and I officiated on over 70 games last season.

As someone mentioned below, some players make the offside decision for themselves and stop with their hands in the air. You must play to the whistle!

The worst cases are when just one of the defenders stops and sticks his hand in the air, making it even worse for the other defenders and easier for the strikers.

The other big problem I have is finding unbiased Linesman. At the level I referee linesmen are usually the substitutes from each of the teams. This makes it doubly difficult for the referee as he has to decide on the offside and if the linesman's decision was unbiased.

Now I just use the linemen as window dressing and make the decisions myself whatever they flag for. Much easier that way.

If you want the offside rule to work for your team you must have only one person making the call to step up and all four arms going up together in a line. An organised back four helps the referee make decisions in thier favour.

Hope that helps.

Kevin McMahon