14B.5.6 Restart after a goal: When to blow the whistle.
Comments about this discussion:
Started
So the rules read:
14B.5.6 Restart After A Goal
After a goal, the non-scoring team gets the ball. All players must go to their own half.
After the referee’s whistle, the game resumes when the ball or a player of the team in
possession crosses the center line. It is legal to directly shoot a goal after passing the
center line, for example without passing the ball to another player first.
Team A scores a goal against Team B. What exactly happens next?
This often leads to discussions in the german league. When exactly shall the referee blow the whistle to start the game? Do any of the teams need to be ready to play? Do both of the teams need to be ready to play? If so what constitutes readiness? Only to sit on the unicycle or to be back in position?
As team A would wan't do arrange in the T-Formation this is somewhat problematic, as naturally the players crossing the middle line last will not be ready in the T-Formation then, team B could use that to their advantage.
Furthermore, what about a situation where some players are not on their unicycles yet? I see that to be a problem for lower level plays. There could be a situation where a number of players of Team A are not on their unicycles, let alone ready to play and team B could use that to a swift counterattack. Is that something we want, as it makes the game faster, more exciting, or is this something we don't want as it makes the game more chaotic?
I do also sometimes see it that a player from team A delays crossing the middle line again as they see that their teammates are not ready yet to avoid a swift counterattack from Team B. Is that "intentional delay of game" and thus a reason for a 2min?
I feel like there's quite something to discuss here. The rule is pretty straight forward as of now which is a good thing i suppose, it could get muddied if we change it (e.g. what constitutes readiness)
Comment
We could have the Captain or the goalkeeper of Team A raise their arm to the referee to signal that their team is ready to play, only then the referee would blow the whistle. That would completely erase the opportunity for swift counter attacks but would make the whole situation very clear and orderly and would leave no room for frustration (against the referee at least. One could be frustrated that their goalie was too early but thats not "our" problem) You could argue that it could also lead to intentional delay of the game, but thats always the case anyway.
I would however suggest that the goalkeeper does this, not necessarily the captain. Because first, the goalkeeper has a good overview whether their team is ready and second if the captain is for example the middle attacking player and looses focus because of his hand-raising and maybe eye-contacting to the refere it might lead to unfair situations.
If Team B is not ready to play by that point its not really a problem because no one forces them to start right away after the whistle.
Comment
I think your suggestion with the goal keeper is to complicated and will slow down the play to much.
I usually wait a few seconds after the last player of Team A crosses the middle line, so he gets the chance to turn around and blow the whistle then (despite if he turned around or not). However, defining these "few seconds" as a clear rule is not easy.
Comment
I usually referee in this case with simular behaviar as above (time with chance to turn around - despite if he turned around or not).
Comment
From my experience, I find it practical to adjust the timing of the restart to the respective level of play. For example, in youth tournaments, I believe it is appropriate to allow teams a bit more time after a goal to orient themselves and reposition accordingly. Of course, this also depends on the game progression and flow.
However, for tournaments at a higher level, I tend to restart play relatively quickly once all players have reached their half of the pitch. Here, I expect the players to have sufficient unicycling skills to quickly reposition themselves and react accordingly.
Additionally, I do not consider it an intentional delay if the last player of the team that has just scored (here: Team A) moves slowly or even rides backward over the halfway line to keep an eye on the opponents and position themselves appropriately. In my opinion, the actual delay occurs when the referee waits too long for Team A to fully set up before restarting play. This unnecessarily consumes time and can significantly impact closely contested matches, potentially denying the opposing team (Team B) one final attacking opportunity.
Since Team A has just scored, I find it reasonable for them to accept the minor disadvantage of retreating to their half. With good communication, especially from the goalkeeper who should maintain an overview, Team A can react in time, thus making their disadvantage minimal to negligible.
Generally, I view the current rule—requiring all players to be in their respective halves before restarting—as sufficiently clear. Once this condition is met, the referee should restart the game immediately. If changes were to be considered, one might contemplate introducing additional stoppage time as in football or clock stoppages after each interruption as in basketball. However, I find neither alternative practical nor necessary, provided the referee consistently ensures minimal delays or briefly stops the clock if needed.
Comment
I provide enough time for the retreating team to cross over and turn to be in a ready position of play, whether they choose to or not is their choice.
Essentially, I will not blow a whistle with defending players crossing and attacking players right behind them as I think this is unfair to the retreating team. But I am generally ok with the wording
Comment
I think most see it as ok. Unless Malte Voelkel, Nicolai Krieger, Nicolas Cartier, Ole Jaekel, Pascal Rohn, or Ryan Wood chime in soon then I think we can close this discussion
Comment
I think it's okay to leave it up to the referee to decide when exactly to restart the game. The referee can react to different situations and I don't know if rewording the rule would really make it any better.
Comment
I'm happy with the current rules and I think leaving it up to the referees is generally good.