Understanding the Offsides Rule in Soccer

Soccer, in general, is a relatively easy game to understand. The strategy and skills take years to master, but the rules are straight forward. The exception to that is the offsides rule. For those that are new to the soccer, it is a rule that is confusing and frustrating.

The offside rule is in place to keep the attacking forwards from setting up camp in front of the opposing goal. The rule forces the attacking team to work the ball in for a score, and not to rely only on dumping the ball in for an easy score.

Simply put, if you are on the opponent's side of the field, and you are farther down field than the second last defender, you are in an offside position. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Unfortunately, things are a little more complicated than it first appears. There are times you can be past the last defender, but still not be called offside. You are not offside if:

1.) You are on your own half of the field.

2.) You are even with, or behind the ball.

3.) You receive the ball directly from a goal kick, corner kick, or from a throw-in. (However, you can be offside if you receive the ball on a direct free kick.)

To complicate matters even further, a player can be in an "offside position" but still not have an offside penalty called against them. There are two things that have to happen before a player is offside, one of which is a judgment call by the referee, and may be called differently in different situations.

First, the offside player must be further down field than the second last defender at the time the ball is played. If you are onside when the ball is kicked, you are allowed to outrun the defender to gain possession of the ball.

One point to pay attention to is the term "second last defender." While the keeper is typically the last defender, the rule does not specifically mention the keeper. If a team were to pull their keeper, there would have to be two field defenders between the attacker an the goal to avoid being called offside.

The second, and most tricky part of being offside is, the player must be involved in "active play." This means they are gaining an advantage by being in an offside position, interfering with the play, or interfering with an opponent. This can be very subjective, and no two referees will call it exactly the same.

As a general rule, if the offside player is trying to get back onside most referees will not call that player offside. If the player is trying to stay involved in the play, they will get called offside.

Once you understand the offside rule, it becomes an important part of the defensive strategy. It can become frustrating, but it is an important part of the game of soccer.