Can You Be Offside from a Goal Kick or Throw-In?

The main difference between a casual and a die-hard football enthusiast is being able to explain the offside rule and all of its nuances.

The modern game is now heavily influenced by the use of VAR. Not even more than five years ago players were able to celebrate their goals instantly. Imagine someone from, let’s say, the 2000s reading this article – they would probably be quite confused with the fact that players, in some cases, can’t run to their fans right after scoring. They have to, so to speak, wait for the referee to give them a green light after the VAR check is completed.

Again, don’t worry if you feel like you belong to the more casual side of things – in a large number of cases, not even professional referees are always 100% sure about their decisions.

Now, what is an offside?

According to Law 11 in the FA’s official Laws of the Game, a player is considered offside if any body part they can score with, excluding hands and arms, is in the opponent’s half of the pitch and positioned closer to the opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent – typically the goalkeeper.

It’s worth noting that being offside does not result in a yellow or red card but leads to the referee stopping play and awarding the opposition an indirect free kick.

Can you be offside from a goal kick?

To put it simply – no. A player can’t be offside from a goal kick or throw-in. 

A player cannot be caught offside if they receive the ball directly from a goal kick, regardless of their position on the pitch. This rule has remained unchanged ever since the introduction of the FA laws all the way back in 1863. In fact, under the offside rule of 1863, every attacking player would have automatically been in an offside position during a goal kick since it had to be taken from the goal line.

What about the throw-in?

Similarly to a goal kick, a player cannot be offside if they receive the ball directly from their own team’s throw-in. You’ve probably witnessed a scenario in which a player would throw the ball back into play to their teammates who are obviously behind the opposition’s defensive line. While it might seem strange at first, receiving the ball from a throw-in while being behind the defending backline is not considered an offense.

The original laws of 1863 did not include offside from a throw-in. The reason was simple – the ball had to be thrown back into the play at right angles to the touchline. This made it difficult for a player to gain an advantage by being ahead of the ball. However, in 1877, the throw-in law changed. The rule now allowed the ball to be thrown in any direction and permitted a player to be offside. Subsequently, in 1920, the law reverted, stating that a player could not be offside from a throw-in.

Can a player be caught offside from a corner kick though?

Again – no. Being in an offside position from a corner is not an offense. This exemption constitutes the third and final major exception to the offside rule. Keep in mind that when corners were first introduced in 1872, the rules were a bit different compared to now. Corners had to be taken from the corner flag itself. This made it impossible for attackers to be offside since the corner flag is on the goal line. 

However, in 1874, corners were allowed to be taken up to one yard from the corner flag, which enabled players to potentially be in an offside position. The International Football Conference in December 1882 decided that a player should not be offside from a corner, and this amendment was subsequently incorporated into the Laws of the Game in 1883.

Are there any offside rule exceptions?

In addition to the aforementioned scenarios, there are also two other exceptions to the offside rule: 

• The first one states that a player cannot be offside when they receive the ball in their team’s own half of the pitch. 

• The second one says that if the ball is already further down the field than the player, rendering the pass technically backward, being offside is not an offense.

It is also worth noting that standing in an offside position without interfering with play, either directly or indirectly, such as deliberately blocking the opposition goalkeeper’s view, is also not penalized.

Conclusion

There aren’t many rules in sports as nuanced and complex as the offside rule. Being able to fully understand it will not only make your time spent in front of the TV or at the stadium more enjoyable but will also most likely put you in a very special club – the club that differentiates casuals from above-average football enthusiasts.

The next time you watch a game where a player throws the ball back into the play to a teammate positioned behind the opposition’s backline, feel free to explain the offside rule to your friends and family, and the reason why the whistle wasn’t blown.