LAW IX – THE START AND RESTART OF PLAY

 

Preliminaries

The choice of ends is decided by the toss of a coin. The team winning the toss decides which goal it wishes to attack in the first half of the game.

The other team takes the kick-off to start the game.

The team which wins the toss takes the kick-off to start the second half of the game.

In the second half of the game the teams change ends and attack the opposite goals.

Kick-off

A kick-off is a way of starting or restarting play:

·       at the start of the game

·       after a goal has been scored

·       at the start of the second half of the game

·       at the start of each period of extra time, where applicable

 A goal may be scored directly from the kick-off.

Procedure 

 

· all players are in their own half of the field 
·  the opponents of the team taking the kick-off are at least  3 m from the ball
until it is in play
· the opponents of the team taking the kick-off are at least  3 m from the ball 
· the ball is stationary on the center mark
· the referee gives a signal
· the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward the kicker may not
touch the ball a second time until it has touched another player

After a team scores a goal, the kick-off is taken by the other team.

 

Infringements/Sanctions

 

If the kicker touches the ball a second time 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.  However, if this offence is committed by a player in his opponents’ penalty area, the indirect free kick shall be taken from the penalty area line from the place nearest to where the infringement occurred.

For any other infringement of the kick-off procedure, the kick-off is retaken.

 

Dropped Ball

A dropped ball is a way of restarting the game after a temporary stoppage which becomes necessary, while the ball is in play and provided that immediately preceding the stoppage it has not passed over the touchline or goal line, for any reason not mentioned elsewhere in the Laws of the Game.

  

Procedure

 

The referee drops the ball at the place where it was located when play was stopped, except if it was in the penalty area, in which case he drops it on the penalty area line, at the place nearest to where the ball was located when the game was stopped.

Play restarts when the ball touches the ground.

 

 

 

Infringements / Sanctions

The ball is dropped again:

·  if it is touched by a player before it makes contact with the ground
· if the ball leaves the playing court after it makes contact with the 
ground, without a player touching it