DFW Tornados

	A Very Basic Definition

	Offside occurs when a player does not have at least two opposition players between himself and the opposing goal-line at the precise moment the ball is played forward by a member of his own team.

	Examples

	The offside rule exists to prevent "goal-hanging" or "cherry-picking" as in the example below. Without the offside rule, many soccer games would just become a "long ball" or "kick ball" game, with teams continually kicking the ball upfield immediately upon possession, hoping to find a forward. You CANNOT be in an offside position in your own half.


	In the example below, the red forward is in an offside position. The defense may deliberately push up the field to play an "offside trap" and leave the opposition's forward(s) offside when the ball is passed. It is the linesman's responsibility to keep up with the play to ensure they spot offside infringements such as this especially when the offside distance is very small. Remember that offside occurs at the moment the ball is played, not before or after, so it is irrelevant whether the defender catches up with the forward by the time the ball reaches him.


	In the example below, the red forward is not offside because the left defender on the blue team has stayed back keeping him onside. This is a classic example of the "offside trap" failing because a player has failed to push forward with the rest of the defense. The referee must look at the linesman whenever a throughball is played because if he is badly positioned he may wrongly call offside. It is also the linesman's responsibility to look all the way across the field so he does not incorrectly flag a player offside.


	In the example below, many people would incorrectly assume that the red forward is in an onside position because there is a defender back between him and the goal. This is not the case because there must be TWO players between the forward and the goal-line when the ball is passed but people forget the goalkeeper normally counts as one of them. If there was an additional defender back between the red forward and the goal-line, he would be onside as one of the two players back does not have to be a goalkeeper. Goalkeepers will occasionally push forward for corner kicks or if they decide to dribble the ball out themselves. Other than those examples, the situation below very rarely happens.


	Below is another example that can lead to an incorrect assumption. Although there is a red forward in an offside position behind the blue left defender, offside should not be called if the ball is passed to the highlighted red player because he is in an onside position. However, the red player in an offside position may not be involved in the play in anyway unless he first recovers to an onside position. The reason offside is not called in the below example when the ball is played to the highlighted red player is because the red player in the offside position is not deemed by the officials as "interfering with play". Again, communication between the officials is vital to ensure a correct call is made.