The
Laws of the Game (also known as the
Laws of Football) are the rules governing a game of
association football (soccer).
Current Laws of the Game
The current
Laws of the Game consists of 17 individual laws:
History and development
The Laws were first drawn up by
Ebenezer Cobb Morley prior to being approved at a meeting of
the Football Association (FA) on
8 December 1863.
Today the
Laws of the Game are determined by the
International Football Association Board (IFAB). The current version of the Laws of the Game was adopted by IFAB in 1997.
The board was established on
6 December 1882 when representatives from the
Scottish Football Association (SFA), the
Football Association of Wales (FAW) and the
Irish Football Association (IFA) (now the governing body in Northern Ireland and not to be confused with the
Football Association of Ireland (FAI) the governing body in the Republic of Ireland) were invited to attend a meeting in
Manchester by the FA; previously games between teams from different countries had to agree to which country's rules were used before playing.
When the international football body
FIFA was founded in
Paris in
1904 it immediately declared that it would adhere to the rules laid down by the IFAB. The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the IFAB in 1913. Today the board is made up of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of the United Kingdom's associations.
The Football Association Laws of 1863 as published in the press (in
Bell's Life) for approval on
December 5 1863:
- 1. The maximum length of the ground shall be 200 yards, the maximum breadth shall be 100 yards, the length and breadth shall be marked off with flags; and the goal shall be defined by two upright posts, eight yards apart, without any tape or bar across them.
- 2. A toss for goals shall take place, and the game shall be commenced by a place kick from the centre of the ground by the side losing the toss for goals; the other side shall not approach within 10 yards of the ball until it is kicked off.
- 3. After a goal is won, the losing side shall be entitled to kick off, and the two sides shall change goals after each goal is won.
- 4. A goal shall be won when the ball passes between the goal-posts or over the space between the goal-posts (at whatever height), not being thrown, knocked on, or carried.
- 5. When the ball is in touch, the first player who touches it shall throw it from the point on the boundary line where it left the ground in a direction at right angles with the boundary line, and the ball shall not be in play until it has touched the ground.
- 6. When a player has kicked the ball, any one of the same side who is nearer to the opponent's goal line is out of play, and may not touch the ball himself, nor in any way whatever prevent any other player from doing so, until he is in play; but no player is out of play when the ball is kicked off from behind the goal line.
- 7. In case the ball goes behind the goal line, if a player on the side to whom the goal belongs first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick from the goal line at the point opposite the place where the ball shall be touched. If a player of the opposite side first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick at the goal only from a point 15 yards outside the goal line, opposite the place where the ball is touched, the opposing side standing within their goal line until he has had his kick.
- 8. If a player makes a fair catch, he shall be entitled to a free kick, providing he claims it by making a mark with his heel at once; and in order to take such kick he may go back as far as he pleases, and no player on the opposite side shall advance beyond his mark until he has kicked.
- 9. No player shall run with the ball.
- 10. Neither tripping nor hacking shall be allowed, and no player shall use his hands to hold or push his adversary.
- 11. A player shall not be allowed to throw the ball or pass it to another with his hands.
- 12. No player shall be allowed to take the ball from the ground with his hands under any pretence whatever while it is in play.
- 13. No player shall be allowed to wear projecting nails, iron plates, or gutta-percha1 on the soles or heels of his boots.
- 1 gutta-percha is an inelastic natural latex, produced from the resin of the Isonandra Gutta tree of Malaya. It was used for many purposes (e.g. the core of golf balls; the insulation of telegraph cables) before the discovery of superior synthetic materials.
At its meeting on 8th December the F.A. agreed (as reported in
Bell's Life) John Lillywhite should publish the Laws, which he said he could do at a cost of a
shilling for the pocket size and 1s 6
d for the larger size for club rooms.
References
- The History of the Football Association Naldrett Press (1953)
- The Rules of Association Football, 1863: The First FA Rule Book Bodelian Library (2006)
External links
Association football, commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players. It is the most popular sport in the world.
..... Click the link for more information.
A football pitch is the playing surface for the game of football (soccer). Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".
All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define.
..... Click the link for more information.
A
football is used to play one of the different sports known as football. Each different code of football uses a different ball which belong to one of two different basic shapes:
- a sphere used in association football (soccer) as well as Gaelic football;
..... Click the link for more information. kit is the standard equipment and attire worn by players in association football (soccer). The sport's Laws of the Game specify the minimum equipment to be used, and also prohibit the use of anything that is dangerous to himself or another player.
..... Click the link for more information.
referee presides over a game of association football (soccer). The referee has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and the referee's decisions regarding facts connected with play are final, so far as
..... Click the link for more information.
Two assistant referees (previously known as linesmen) assist the referee in controlling an association football (soccer) match.
An assistant referee indicates matters to the referee (usually initially by raising his flag, but nowadays also by wireless communication
..... Click the link for more information.
The Ball In and Out of Play is the ninth law of the Laws of the Game of football (soccer), and describes to the two basic states of play in the game.
In play
The ball remains in play
..... Click the link for more information. Offside is a Law in association football which effectively limits how far forward attacking players may be when involved in play. Simply put, a player cannot gain an advantage by waiting for the ball near the opposing goal with only the goalkeeper between him and the goal (only in
..... Click the link for more information.
A
free kick is a method of resuming play in various forms of football, including:
- Football (soccer)
- Indirect free kick
- Direct free kick
..... Click the link for more information. penalty kick is a type of free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards (approximately eleven metres) out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.
A penalty kick is performed during normal play.
..... Click the link for more information.
A throw-in is a method of restarting play in a game of association football (soccer).
Award
A throw-in is awarded to the opponents of the team that last touched the ball, when the ball leaves the field of play by wholly crossing a side touch line (either on the ground or
..... Click the link for more information. A goal kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football (soccer).
Award
A goal kick is awarded to the defending team when the ball leaves the field of play by wholly crossing the goal line (either on the ground or in the air) without a goal having been
..... Click the link for more information. corner kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football (soccer). It was first devised in Sheffield under the Sheffield Rules in 1867. It was adopted by the Football Association in 1872.
..... Click the link for more information.
Ebenezer Cobb Morley (1831-1924) was an English sportsman and is regarded as the father of The Football Association and modern Association Football and, to a certain extent, of all organised football.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England and the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. The FA has a unique place in the history of football.
..... Click the link for more information.
December 8 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.
Events
..... Click the link for more information. 18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1830s 1840s 1850s - 1860s - 1870s 1880s 1890s
1860 1861 1862 - 1863 - 1864 1865 1866
:
Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) (also known as The International F. A. Board or simply The International Board) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football (soccer).
..... Click the link for more information.
December 6 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.
Events
..... Click the link for more information. 18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1850s 1860s 1870s - 1880s - 1890s 1900s 1910s
1879 1880 1881 - 1882 - 1883 1884 1885
:
Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Football Association of Wales (Welsh: Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the governing body of football in Wales, being a member of both FIFA and UEFA.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the organising body for football in Northern Ireland, and had historically been the governing body for the whole of the island.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI; Irish: Cumann Peile na h-Éireann) is the organising body for the sport of association football (soccer) in the Republic of Ireland. .
..... Click the link for more information.
City of Manchester
Manchester City Centre
Coat of Arms of the City Council
Nickname: "Capital of the North", "Cottonopolis", "Madchester", "Second city"
Motto: "Concilio Et Labore"
..... Click the link for more information.
Federation of International Football Associations
Motto for the good of the game. .
Formation May 21, 1904
Type Sports federation
Headquarters Zürich, Switzerland
Membership 208 national associations
President Sepp Blatter
Website [1]
..... Click the link for more information.
Ville de Paris
City flag City coat of arms
Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur
(Latin: "Tossed by the waves, she does not sink")
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro.
..... Click the link for more information.
19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1870s 1880s 1890s - 1900s - 1910s 1920s 1930s
1901 1902 1903 - 1904 - 1905 1906 1907
Year 1904 (MCMIV
..... Click the link for more information.
December 5 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.
Events
- 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations.
..... Click the link for more information. 18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1830s 1840s 1850s - 1860s - 1870s 1880s 1890s
1860 1861 1862 - 1863 - 1864 1865 1866
:
Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.