Be the Referee: Toe the Line on PKs
October 15, 2020
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis explains a change in soccer affecting goalkeeper movement during penalty kicks.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment - Toe the Line on Penalty Kicks - Listen
Here’s a high school soccer rules change for the upcoming season. Rules for the placement and movement of the goalkeeper on a penalty kick have been rewritten to make it more clear what a keeper can or cannot do.
As in previous years, goalkeepers can move laterally along the goal line prior to the taking of the penalty kick. But new this year, goalkeepers need only have one foot on (or in-line) with the goal line at the time of the kick.
This allows keepers to lunge before the ball is kicked, as long as one foot stays on the line. Previously, the goalie needed to keep both feet on the goal line or in line.
Past editions
10/8: Disconcerting Acts - Listen
10/1: Ball Hits Soccer Referee - Listen
9/24: Clocking the Ball from the Shotgun - Listen
The Official View: Steps Away, Starts Anew
By
Brent Rice
MHSAA Assistant Director
October 29, 2018
By Brent Rice
MHSAA Assistant Director
As “Official View” returns this week, we say good-bye and a big thank you to a longtime football official – but only for the fall as he’ll be continuing to serve on basketball courts in southwestern Michigan.
We also consider a few soccer scenarios and explain changes on the way at MHSAA.com designed in part to provide more resources for officials.
It’s Official!
The use of regular bulletins for officials in each sport was rolled out for this past fall season in football, soccer and volleyball. Each of these weekly bulletins provides readers with a few topical items (rules and mechanics) which includes common issues observed, points of emphasis or tips, and hints. It also provides a rules challenge and other tidbits of beneficial information in the specific sport. Full implementation of this tool will be started this winter in basketball, competitive cheer, gymnastics, hockey, swimming and wrestling.
Expect to see some changes in the coming weeks to the Officials page of the MHSAA website. The primary goal of this revamp is to reduce redundancy, separate and organize general officials information from sport-specific information and provide a new resource area for each sport’s officials to receive bulletins, approved rulings and interpretations and to access the new video rules library currently in development. If there are specific things you would like to see included, please let assistant director Brent Rice know.
Rule of the Week
SOCCER During A1’s throw-in, the ball first hits the touchline and then continues immediately out of play.
Ruling: This is a legal throw-in and Team B will be awarded a throw-in at the spot at which the ball left play.
It’s Your Call
SOCCER This week’s clip has the attacker in white and defender in blue racing to retrieve a ball headed near (but just outside) the penalty area. The goalkeeper charges and both he and the attacker attempt to make a play on the ball. What’s the call?
Last Week’s IYC Ruling: Last week we were presented with a prime example of how not to run the “Swinging Gate” formation from scrimmage. The play had a number of potential fouls – let’s run through them (click to see the video):
• Illegal formation – Snapper’s shoulders must be squared to the line of scrimmage.
• Illegal formation – It appears only the snapper is on the line of scrimmage. This leaves 10 in the backfield.
• Illegal shift – While the cluster of players are attempting to get set, the near receiver goes in motion. The ball is snapped without having all 11 set for at least one second.
• False start – The back that receives the snap starts to move before the snap.
Official View: A Step Back
For the last 42 years, Wayne Patterson has roamed the high school gridirons serving as a strong, hardworking and dependable official, crewmate and mentor to young officials. Patterson has decided that after years and years of fall Fridays blocked on the calendar, it’s time to spend more time with his family and allow other officials to take his place.
It’s not a step out though, only a step back. He will continue to officiate both boys and girls basketball in the winter, working alongside his daughter.
In the adjacent photo, Patterson sits with his regular crew for a postgame meal and discussion. The crew took the top photo together during his final career football game, at Sturgis High School. (Top photo, from left: Mitch Reynolds, Pete VanGeisen, Wayne Patterson, Tim Latta and Mike McKenzie).