1. AYSO Basic Referee Online Companion Course

2. Offside Diagram 1 OFFSIDE D A D A2 A1 GK D D A
In this situation, A2 is in an offside position at the moment A1 passes the ball, since A2 is ahead of the ball and there are not two players between him and the opponents’ goal line. (In fact, there are none.) A2 is involved in active play because he plays the ball passed by a teammate (that is, he is interfering with play from his offside position). He is therefore guilty of an offside infringement. D D A

3. Offside Diagram 2 NOT OFFSIDE D A D A2 A1 GK D D A
In this situation, A2 is in an offside position at the moment A1 passes the ball, since A2 is ahead of the ball and there are not two players between him and the opponents’ goal line. (In fact, there are none.) However, A2 is not involved in active play because he does not touch the ball and does not interfere with an opponent. He is not guilty of an offside infringement. D D A

4. Offside Diagram 3 NOT OFFSIDE D A2 GK D A1 D A3
In this situation, both A2 and A3 run into the penalty area as A1 passes the ball into the area. Although A3 is in an offside position at the moment A1 passes the ball, he does not become involved in active play and so he is not offside. A2 has at least two opponents between him and the goal line at the moment the ball is played by A1, so A2 is not in an offside position and therefore is not offside when he becomes involved in active play by receiving the pass. D A1 D A3

5. Offside Diagram 4 NOT OFFSIDE A D A2 GK D A1 A D
This scenario illustrates a common situation. A2 begins running toward the penalty area. At the moment that A1 passes the ball, A2 still has two opponents between him and the goal line. Thus he is not in an offside position at the moment the ball is played his teammate A1. By the time he receives the ball, he has only one opponent between him and the goal line (the goalkeeper). But that is irrelevant – what matters is his position at the moment A1 plays the ball. Since he is not in an offside position at the moment of judgment, he is not guilty of an offside infringement when he subsequently becomes involved in active play by receiving the pass. A1 A D

6. Offside Diagram 5 NOT OFFSIDE A D A2 A1 GK D D A
This scenario illustrates a common situation in younger players’ games. A1 is dribbling the ball toward the opponents’ goal. His teammate A2 is slightly ahead and to his left. The players continue toward the goal in tandem, with A1 continuing to dribble and A2 running somewhat ahead. Eventually, they pass the second-to-last defender. Once that happens, A2 is ahead of the ball and only has one opponent between him and the goal line. Thus, as A1 repeatedly plays (dribbles) the ball, A2 is repeatedly in an offside position at each moment of judgment. However, A2 never becomes involved in active play, since he does not interfere with an opponent and does not touch the ball. He is not guilty of an offside infringement. D A