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All Things Goalkeeper

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• In a U-14 boys game, the Blue team's goalkeeper controls the ball with his feet and as he is clearing it out of the penalty area. Red #12, who was challenging for the ball, knocks him down as they collide shoulder to shoulder. The ball is quickly recovered by Red #9 who takes a shot on goal while the goalkeeper is still down on the ground.

• As the referee, what do you do?

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• It’s not a foul when two or more opponents make contact as they challenge for the ball in a fair manner and somebody goes down - even a goalkeeper. Shoulder to shoulder contact while challenging for the ball, when it’s within playing distance, is allowed. In this scenario there is no foul to be called because the ball was within playing distance of both the Blue team’s goalkeeper and Red #12 when they collided shoulder to shoulder as they were trying to control the ball.

• However, referees should always ensure that players are safe. If the referee feels that the goalkeeper isn’t injured then he may choose to let play continue. If the referee feels that the goalkeeper is injured then he should stop play, beckon the coach onto the field to help the goalkeeper, determine whether the goalkeeper may continue after some help from the coach and restart play with a dropped ball. In determining injuries, the referee should always take into account the age of the players. When the referee has any doubts about a possible injury, give the benefit to the safety of players and stop the game.

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• While play is underway in a U-12 girl’s game, the Blue team’s coach instructs Blue #5 to switch places with the goalkeeper who is wearing #12 under a pinny. Without notifying the referee, the goalkeeper removes her pinny and gloves and gives them to Blue #5. While Blue #5 is holding the pinny, the Red team generates an attack and takes a shot on goal. As the ball is heading toward the Blue team’s goal, Blue #12 stops the shot and collects the ball with her hands.

• What do you do?

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• Any of the other players within the same team and on the field of play may exchange places with the goalkeeper, provided that the referee is informed before the change is made, and the change is made during a stoppage in the game. These two requirements weren’t met in this case so the goalkeeper and player were exchanging places illegally. Therefore, by the letter of the Law, both players should be cautioned for unsporting behavior for changing places without the referee’s permission.

• However, within the spirit of the game and definitely in youth games, the referee should always consider other player factors including technical skill and knowledge of the game when making decisions. If, in the opinion of the referee, the players didn’t understand the proper procedure for goalkeeper changes and there was no intention to deceive, then the offense may be considered trifling. In this case the referee should stop the game, allow the new goalkeeper to properly get the equipment on, explain the proper procedure to the players and restart the game with a dropped ball allowing the new goalkeeper for the Blue team to get control of the ball.

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• Same scenario in a U-16 girl’s game…

• What might you do differently?

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• If, in the opinion of the referee, the players are knowledgeable about the game, then the referee’s decision should be more in line with the letter of the Law. In an intended goalkeeper exchange, performed legally or illegally, the player who has possession of the goalkeeper shirt (pinny in this case) is the goalkeeper and therefore is authorized to handle the ball within her penalty area. In this case, Blue #5 has the goalkeeper’s pinny so she is the goalkeeper.

• If the player who collects the ball is no longer the goalkeeper, Blue #12 in this case, she is guilty of deliberately handling the ball inside her penalty area. In this case, the referee should stop play, caution the new goalkeeper for unsporting behavior. If Blue #12 denied a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball, the referee should show the red card to Blue #12 and send her off before restarting the game with a penalty kick for the Red team.

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• Same scenario, but Blue # 5 collects the shot on goal while holding the pinny.

• What would you do?

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• If the new goalkeeper collects the ball but she isn’t properly uniformed (as in this case where she is simply holding the pinny), the referee should stop the game, allow the new goalkeeper to properly get the equipment on, caution both players for unsporting behavior and restart with an indirect free kick for the red team at the point where the offense occurred.

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• Same scenario, but Blue # 5 gets the pinny on and collects the shot on goal.

• What would you do?

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• If the player who collects the ball is the new goalkeeper and she is properly uniformed, the referee should wait until the next time the ball is out of play, caution both players for unsporting behavior and restart the game per the reason the ball went out of play.

• When in doubt about the intention and knowledge of the players, remember that in youth games there are a lot of opportunities for teaching moments which bring good results in player behavior and development.

• (See pages 18 and 39, in the 2014-2015 AYSO FIFA Laws of the Game.)

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• In a U-14 girls game, Red #15 makes light contact with the Blue team’s goalkeeper as she challenges for the ball. The goalkeeper controls the ball and because she was upset over the contact, she throws the ball directly at the back of Red #15’s head, who is now one yard outside of the penalty area.

• What do you do?

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• Deliberately hitting an opponent with the ball is considered a striking foul which is punishable with a direct free kick or a penalty kick if the foul is committed by a defender inside her own penalty area. The place of infraction is considered to be where the ball struck the opponent or would’ve struck the opponent if the attempt missed.

• When the ball is in play and a player throws an object such as the ball at an opponent in a reckless manner, with complete disregard for the safety of her opponent, she should be cautioned for unsporting behavior. If the player throws the object with excessive force, creating danger to her opponent, then she should be sent off for violent conduct. In this scenario the referee should stop play, and depending on her opinion, caution or send off the Blue team’s goalkeeper. Once the referee cautions or sends off the goalkeeper, checks Red #15 to make sure she’s okay, the referee can then restart play with a direct free kick from where the ball made contact with Red #15.

• (See pages 36 and 37-39 in the 2014-2015 AYSO FIFA Laws of the Game).

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• Just before you blow the whistle for the start of the first half in a U-14 boy’s match, you notice that the two goalkeepers have the same color jerseys on. You check with both coaches, and neither one has a different jersey nor pinnies.

• What do you do?

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• Law 4 (Guidelines)

• If the jerseys of the two goalkeepers are the same color and neither has another jersey to change into, the referee allows play to begin.

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• What if the goalkeeper jerseys are different color, but one of them conflicts with the color of the referee jerseys?

• What might you do in this case?

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• 5.1 REFEREE UNIFORM (per Advice to Referees)

• If the uniform colors worn by a goalkeeper and the referee or by a team (or both teams) and the referee are similar enough to invite confusion, the goalkeeper or the team(s) must change to different colors. Only if there is no way to resolve the color similarity must the referee (and the assistant referees) wear the colors that conflict least with the players.

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• In a U-14 boy’s game, before a penalty kick is taken by Red #10, the goalkeeper moves to his right and then to his left while remaining on the goal line. The kick is taken and the goalkeeper deflects the ball over the cross bar. Immediately after, the assistant referee (AR) stays in position at the intersection of the goal line and the penalty area line and signals by holding the flag across his lower body.

• What do you do?

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• During the taking of a penalty kick, and kicks from the penalty mark to determine a winner, the AR may help the referee determine whether a goal is scored and whether the goalkeeper has moved illegally. If the goalkeeper moved illegally and therefore prevented a goal from being scored, the AR stays in position and signals to the referee by holding the flag across the lower body.

• The goalkeeper is allowed to move from side to side on the goal line but may not move off the goal line until the ball has been kicked. In this scenario the goalkeeper remained on the goal line so he didn't infringe any Laws. The AR should have not signaled to the referee, therefore, the referee should waive down the signal. To maintain a professional and positive teamwork projection, the referee can give the AR the thumbs up signal as he says “Thank you. I’ve got it.” If needed, the referee can explain that the goalkeeper never moved off the goal line before Red #10 kicked the ball.

• The referee should restart play with a corner kick for the Red team because the ball was last touched by the goalkeeper before it left the field of play over the goal line without a goal being scored. In the pre-game conference the referee team should discuss the procedure, mechanics and responsibilities for the referee and ARs as appropriate for the taking of a penalty kick.

• (See pages 44 and 132 in the 2014-2015 AYSO FIFA Laws of the Game).

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• In a U-10 game, Blue #10 takes a shot on goal. The Red team’s goalkeeper jumps and catches the ball. When the goalkeeper comes down, she falls on the ground with her legs inside the goal while holding the ball on the goal line section between the two goal posts.

• What do you do?

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• The ball is out of play when it’s fully crossed the goal line or touch line whether on the ground or in the air. A goal is scored when the whole ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided that no infringement of the Laws of the Game has been committed previously by the team scoring the goal. The position of the player playing or attempting to play the ball, in this case the goalkeeper, doesn't matter when determining if a ball is out of play as long as his/her action is part of normal play. That is, the goalkeeper is allowed to leave the field of play as she attempts to catch and play the ball.

• In this scenario, if the referee believes the ball completely crossed over the goal line, provided that there was no infringement committed by the blue team, the referee would stop play, award a goal to the blue team and restart play with a kick-off for the Red team. If the referee doesn't believe the ball completely crossed over the goal line then she should allow play to continue regardless of the goalkeeper’s position of legs.

• The referee makes the decision whether the ball is in play or not. However, the assistant referee (AR) can help the referee make the correct decision. The AR should always follow the ball, all the way to the goal line when appropriate, so she can be in a good position to indicate to the referee whether the ball leaves the field of play or not.

• In this scenario, if the ball briefly, but fully enters the goal and is continuing to be played, the AR should raise the flag vertically to get the referee’s attention and then, after the referee stops play, she would put the flag straight down and follow the remaining procedures for indicating a goal which is to run a short distance toward the halfway line to affirm that a goal has been scored.

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• In a U-16 girl’s game, the goalkeeper for the Blue team catches a hard-driven shot on goal, falling on the ground as she does so. She subsequently takes longer than six seconds to release the ball back into play.

• What do you do?

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• 12.18 THE "SIX-SECOND" RULE (per Advice to Referees)

• The goalkeeper has six seconds to release the ball into play once he or she has taken possession of the ball with the hands. However, this restriction is not intended to include time taken by the goalkeeper while gaining control of the ball or as a natural result of momentum. The referee should not count the seconds aloud or with hand motions. If the goalkeeper is making a reasonable effort to release the ball into play, the referee should allow the “benefit of the doubt.” Before penalizing a goalkeeper for violating this time limit, the referee should warn the goalkeeper about such actions and then should penalize the violation only if the goalkeeper continues to waste time or commits a comparable infringement again later in the match.

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• Late in the match of a U-19 girl’s playoff game, with the Red team ahead 1-0, the goalkeeper for the Red team persists in pushing the boundaries of the time limit for holding onto the ball even after you’ve spoken to her about it.

• What do you do?

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• Law 12

• An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside her own penalty area, controls the ball with her hands for more than six seconds before releasing it from her possession.

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• Same scenario…

• What other options might you have to manage this situation?

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• Law 7

• Allowance is made in either period for all time lost through:– substitutions– assessment of injury to players– removal of injured players from the field of play for

treatment– wasting time– any other cause

• The allowance for time lost is at the discretion of the referee.

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• In a U-14 girl’s game, during play, the red goalkeeper punts the ball straight up in the air. A strong wind blows the ball toward the goal. The goalkeeper touches the ball, but it ends up in the goal.

• What do you do?

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• Law 12

• An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside her own penalty area, touches the ball again with her hands after she has released it from her possession and before it has touched another player.

• However…

• Law 5

• The referee allows play to continue when the team against which an offence has been committed will benefit from such an advantage and penalizes the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue at that time.

• Restart: kickoff Blue

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• In a U-12 girl’s game, blue #5 deliberately kicked the ball to her goalkeeper. The ball went outside of the blue team’s penalty area so the goalkeeper ran after it, dribbled it back into the penalty area, and picked it up with her hands.

• What do you do?

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• A goalkeeper can normally handle the ball while it is in her own penalty area, but she is not allowed to handle the ball if it has been deliberately kicked to her by a teammate. In this case, the ball was deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by her teammate, blue #5. The fact that she had to go outside the penalty area to retrieve it does not matter. Therefore, the referee should stop play and restart the game with an indirect free kick for the opponent.

• Referees can help goalkeepers learn and understand the Laws by assisting them before the start of the game or when they come in to substitute a goalkeeper. The referee can remind the goalkeeper by saying, “Remember, you cannot pick up the ball if one of your teammates kicks it back to you on purpose. Do you understand?” In games with younger players, referees have a good opportunity to do more than just referee.

• (See page 37 in the 2013/14 AYSO FIFA Laws of the Game.)

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• In a U-16 boy’s game, a blue player throws in the ball to a teammate who intentionally heads the ball to their goalkeeper who catches it.

• What do you do?

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• 12.21 BALL THROWN TO THE GOALKEEPER (per Advice to Referees)

• A goalkeeper infringes Law 12 by touching the ball with the hands after receiving it directly from a throw-in taken by a teammate. The goalkeeper is considered to have received the ball directly by playing it in any way (for example, by dribbling the ball with the feet) before touching it with the hands. Referees should take care not to consider as trickery any sequence of play that offers a fair chance for opponents to challenge for the ball before it is handled by the goalkeeper from a throw-in.

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• In a U-10 boys game, the red team’s goalkeeper, near the edge of his penalty area, is about to punt the ball. Blue #7 kicks high, attempting to block the punt, and causes the goalkeeper to barely tip the ball which only goes a couple of yards away to red #12.

• What do you do?

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• An opponent may not interfere with or block the goalkeeper when he’s releasing the ball into play. In this situation, when the referee evaluates a possible interference with the goalkeeper, the referee should consider the age and skill level of the players involved. If the referee has any doubts about the safety of the players or the fairness of the play, the referee should give the benefit of the doubt to the goalkeeper.

• A player may maintain a position on the field of play, during the normal course of play, up until the goalkeeper gains possession of the ball. Once the goalkeeper has possession, an opponent may not act to block the goalkeeper’s movements; or do anything that interferes with the goalkeeper who is throwing or punting the ball into play. A player may not prevent the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands.

• In this case, even though the ball went to the goalkeeper’s teammate, red #12, it didn’t go as far down the field as would’ve been expected from a punt. The referee should stop play, and explain to blue #7 that he may not challenge the goalkeeper once he has possession of the ball. The reasons for stopping play are (1) blue #7 interfered with the goalkeeper while the keeper had possession of the ball and blue #7 needs to learn not to do this and (2) typically the skill level and playing experience of a U-10 player is not sufficiently developed to allow the player to work around the interference. The referee should then restart the game with an indirect free kick for the red team because of the unfair play by blue #7.

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• There are 2 minutes remaining in a hotly contested U-16 boy’s match when the red team has a break-away attack on the blue goal. No blue players other than the goalkeeper are near the play. Red players #2 and #3 attack and red #2 takes a hard shot on the blue goalkeeper while red #3 runs past the goal line due to his momentum.

• The blue goalkeeper saves the shot, jumps up quickly,

runs to the top of his penalty area, and punts the ball forcefully into the back of the retreating red #2, who has left the penalty area. The ball bounces off red #2’s back and rolls to red #3 who is just returning to the field of play. Red #3 kicks the ball into the goal.

• What do you do?

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• A foul occurred and the restart is a DFK from the location where the ball struck Red #2 (outside the penalty area).

• If you decide that the striking with the ball was “trifling” (unlikely in this case), the restart is an IFK for Blue for an offside infraction.

• If you believe that the striking foul was deliberate, reckless, or committed using excessive force, then it is also misconduct. The goalkeeper should be shown the appropriate card and cautioned or sent off.

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• In a U-14 girl’s game, the red goalkeeper takes a goal kick. She miskicks the ball, and it barely clears the penalty area. Seeing an attacking blue player racing toward the ball, she runs out of the penalty area and kicks the ball up field.

• What do you do?

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• Law 16

• If, after the ball is in play, the goalkeeper touches the ball again (except with her hands) before it has touched another player, an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred.

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• Same scenario, but the goalkeeper realizes that the attacker is about to beat her to the ball, so she dives out of the penalty area, pushing the ball with her hands away from the attacker’s feet just before the attacker can play the ball.

• What do you do?

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• Law 16

• If, after the ball is in play, the goalkeeper deliberately handles the ball before it has touched another player, a direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if the infringement occurred outside the goalkeeper’s penalty area, to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred.

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• And, as an FYI, the sanctions associated with a free kick taken by the goalkeeper, a throw in taken by the goalkeeper, and a corner kick taken by the goalkeeper are identical to the sanctions for a goal kick taken by the goalkeeper:

• If, after the ball is in play, the goalkeeper touches the ball again (except with his hands) before it has touched another player:– an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, to be taken

from the place where the infringement occurred (see Law 13 – Position of free kick)

• If, after the ball is in play, the goalkeeper deliberately handles the ball before it has touched another player:– a direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if the infringement

occurred outside the goalkeeper’s penalty area, to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred (see Law 13 – Position of free kick)

– an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if the infringement occurred inside the goalkeeper’s penalty area, to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred (see Law 13 – Position of free kick)

Scenario 1

You are the referee in a U-12 match. A Red attacker dribbles the ball into the penalty area and shoots from four yards away from the Blue goalkeeper. The keeper is struck in the stomach and goes down. The other Red players immediately begin chasing after the ball that has rebounded off the Blue goalkeeper toward the touch line.

When should you blow your whistle to stop play?

• When the goalkeeper goes down

• Look at the goalkeeper and assess the possible injury before blowing the whistle

• Wait and see who collects the ball

Scenario 1

Recommendation• In a U-12 and lower match, you should stop play as

soon as the goalkeeper goes down

 Rationale• It’s always better to stop play immediately for a possible injury in

younger players’ matches• If you delay your whistle and allow play to continue while you watch

to see if a player gets up, be aware that problems might occur around the play area while your focus is on the downed player.

• Parents and/or coaches may already be coming onto the field to deal with the injury, and allowing this will prevent having to deal with that problem

• If you stop play for the injury, the restart is a dropped ball

Scenario 1 (Variations)Basic Scenario: You are the referee in a U-12 match. A Red attacker dribbles the ball into the penalty area and shoots from four yards away from the Blue goalkeeper. The keeper is struck in the stomach and goes down. The other Red players immediately begin chasing after the ball that has rebounded off the Blue goalkeeper toward the touch line.

• Variation A: Would it affect your decision if the player who went down was not the goalkeeper?

• Variation B: Would it affect your decision if there was a breakaway and play was moving away from the injured player (and there does not appear to be a risk to the injured player)?

• Variation C: Would it affect your decision if the player who went down had committed a foul but the opposing player retained the ball, had a breakaway, and you ordinarily would apply advantage?

Scenario 1a

You are the referee in a GU-19 match. A Blue attacker dribbles the ball into the penalty area and shoots from 4 yards away from the Red goalkeeper. The keeper takes the shot in the stomach and goes down. The Blue attacker immediately gets the rebound and scores into the now unprotected net.

When should you blow your whistle to stop play?

• When the goalkeeper goes down• When the blue attacker controls the rebound• After the ball enters the goal

What is the rationale for your decision?

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Recommendation• In a U-19 match you should wait a few seconds and

see what develops• If the attacker kicked the ball out of play or missed the

shot, or if the players stop playing, blow your whistle to keep play stopped and assess the goalkeeper for injury

• If the attacker scored a goal, allow it

Rationale• In older players’ matches the players will expect you to

allow the goal47

Scenario 1a