Soccer Throw-In Rules: Complete Guide
A recent trend on X (formerly Twitter) focused on celebrating the 'Barclays Era' of the Premier League, when sides like Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic and Stoke City bloodied the noses of the country's best teams in the 2000s and early 2010s.
Praise was heaped on numerous players including Stoke's Rory Delap, a cult figure known above all for his long, arcing throw-ins. Delap was capable of causing havoc in opposition penalty areas, and in total his abilities led to over 20 Premier League goals being scored directly from a throw-in by Stoke City.
Part of what made Delap's contributions so special is that no one had ever utilised the attacking throw-in so effectively in English professional football. The rules are clear about what can and can't be done from throw-ins, and as a result most players have tended to take these set pieces in a similar way.
But the rise of long throw-ins has shifted things, showing how the rules can be bended or worked around to get excellent results. In this article, we'll be exploring exactly what those soccer throw in rules are, explaining all aspects of the throw-in laws in football.
What Is A Soccer Throw-In?
In a typical soccer match, there will usually be at least 40 throw-ins. They're a hugely important aspect of the game, and it's crucial for all players and coaches to know exactly how they work.
A soccer throw-in is a way of formally re-entering the ball into the field of play after it has exited the pitch. This means that is is one of several types of set piece regularly seen in soccer, alongside corner kicks, goal kicks, free kicks, and penalties (which are, of course, less common than other set plays).
Throw-ins take place after the ball exits the field of play via the side of the pitch (on the other hand, a corner or goal kick is awarded when the ball leaves the touchline by the goal end). When the ball leaves the side of the pitch, the throw-in is awarded to the opponents of the team who last touched the ball before its exit.
Whether it's an accidental or a deliberate touch is beside the point — throw-ins are a set piece designed to softly penalise the team who shifted the ball off the pitch, by giving possession to the other side.
There are a bunch of rules set out in the official Laws of the Game relating to throw-ins. The purpose of these rules is to make sure that throw-ins are taken in a consistent manner across the board, and the ball is always returned to the pitch using a safe, uniform method. Below, you'll find all the basic information about how a throw-in should be taken.
Soccer Throw-In Rules: The Basics
When you're watching a Premier League game on TV and you see a full-back jog over to the sideline and distribute the ball back onto the pitch, it often looks like second nature. Professional players are so experienced when it comes to this skill that they can adeptly pick out a teammate with a perfectly weighted throw while also following a number of different rules stipulated by the Laws of the Game.
But for people who are at a less advanced level, remembering the exact soccer throw-in rules can be more difficult. There are various details that must be kept in mind:
1) Throw-ins are always taken from the point at which the ball left the field of play. If the thrower moves forward by more than a yard or so in order to gain a small advantage, the referee will usually penalise them.
2) When throwing the ball, the player must stand facing the field of play, with each foot on the touchline or on the ground outside the touchline.
3) The player must throw the ball with both hands, from behind and over the head. You can't throw it with one hand, like a goalkeeper, and you can't release the ball after your arms have passed over your head.
4) When the throw-in is taken, all opponents need to be standing at least two metres away from the point on the side line where the throw is being taken.
5) As soon as the ball enters the field, open play resumes. If the ball touches the ground going onto the field, the throw-in must be retaken by the same team from the same position.
6) Once a thrower has distributed the ball, they are not allowed to touch the ball again until after it has touched another player. Once that other player has made contact with the ball, the original thrower is once again able to touch it.
7) Players can be cautioned for delaying the restart of play if they shape up to take a throw-in but then decide to leave it to a teammate to take at the last minute.
8) If an opponent unfairly distracts a thrower or impedes a throw, they can be cautioned for unsporting behaviour. If this happens, an indirect free kick can be awarded if the throw-in has already been taken. Also, if the thrower commits a handball offence, a direct free kick can be awarded to the opposing team.
If you want a step-by-step guide to taking throw-ins, check out our article on how to take a throw-in effectively.
What Is A Foul Throw-In?
A foul throw is an illegal throw-in, aka a throw that breaks one (or more) of the rules outlined above. Here are some of the key offences typically committed that lead to a foul throw being awarded by the referee:
- A player jumps while taking the throw in
- A player's foot goes past the touchline while taking the throw
- A player releases the ball after it has already passed over their head
- A player throws the ball from a different point to where the ball exited the field of play
- A player throws the ball down into the ground with force in front of them
When a foul throw is awarded, a throw-in is given to the opposing team from the same position, meaning that possession is basically swapped to the opposition as a punishment against the offender.
That being said, it's very rare to see foul throws awarded by the referee in the professional game, particularly at the highest level. Partly this is because throwing technique is consistently strong in the professional game, but there's also a widespread understanding that officials sometimes turn a blind eye to minor foul throws at the highest level, as the advantage gained is extremely limited and constant stoppages for foul throws can lead to a very stunted, stop-start game.
Can You Be Offside From A Throw-In?
The offside rule is a key part of football that helps to prevent attacking players from gaining unfair positional advantages by standing beyond the defensive line. To remain 'onside', an attacking player, when in the opposition half, must have at least two opposition players, including the goalkeeper, between them and the opposition goal when a pass is played to them.
However, there are a few situations in which the normal offside law does not apply. For example, the offside rule doesn't apply during goal kicks because this would impede the goalkeeper's ability to distribute the ball properly. And it's also impossible for a player to be offside direct from a throw in.
The reason players cannot be offside from a throw-in is fairly simple. If a player was not allowed to receive the ball in an offside position from a throw-in, defensive teams could take advantage of this glitch by standing in line with the throw-in taker and thereby stopping them from throwing the ball forward into an attacking space.
Scrapping offsides from throw-ins means players can look forward from a throw rather than having to just go backwards every time. And when it comes to creating dangerous attacks direct from throw-ins, there have been some interesting developments in recent years.
The Role Of Throw-Ins In Modern Soccer
Throw ins have been an integral part of the game since the Victorian age, but in the last couple of decades the use of throw ins in the professional sphere has changed quite significantly. Today, there are a wide range of uses for throw-ins; as well as being a valuable tool for quickly circulating possession and keeping hold of the ball, they can also be used as a direct, forceful attacking device.
Rory Delap was one of the key players to pioneer this technique in the Premier League era, but over the last five years, Thomas Frank's Brentford have been the side that has consistently employed long, direct throw-ins to cause havoc in opposition penalty areas.
The west London club's exploits in this field have been highly successful, generating far more dangerous goal-scoring opportunities from throw-ins than the vast majority of other teams in the Premier League. Check out our guide to Brentford's set piece tactics for more information on this subject.
And Brentford aren't the only team that has spent extra time and resources thinking about how to improve their set piece output, whether it's from throw-ins, corners or free kicks. Set piece coaches and analysts have become integral to the modern game, and the evolution of the throw-in is a testament to the fact that detailed analysis of set piece situations is having a significant impact on the way football is played.
Check out our article on the role of the set piece analyst for more information about the day-to-day responsibilities of this growing position in the football industry.
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