The OFFICIAL SOCCER SITE - Law 8

VIII - The Start and Restart of Play

Preliminaries

A coin is tossed and the team which wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half of the match.

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

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

In the second half of the match 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 match

after a goal has been scored

at the start of the second half of the match

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 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball until it is in play

the ball is stationary on the centre mark

the referee gives a signal

the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward

the kicker does 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* (see preface)

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 match after a temporary stoppage which becomes necessary, while the ball is in play, 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.* (see preface)

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 field of play after it makes contact with the ground, without a player touching it

Special Circumstances

A free kick awarded to the defending team inside its own goal area is taken from any point within the goal area.

An indirect free kick awarded to the attacking team in its opponents' goal area is taken from the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred.

A dropped ball to restart the match after play has been temporarily stopped inside the goal area takes place on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the ball was located when play was stopped.

Laws of the Game

The OFFICIAL SOCCER SITE