Hello,

I was after some clarification on the rules for goalkeepers kicking out of hand.

Age group = U10 girls

This season there has been some confusion as to what a goalkeeper can/can't do.

A goal kick is OK - the opposition team retreats to the halfway line which enables the goalie / defenders to have some time on the ball and gain confidence passing forward. That's great.

The grey area is when the goalie has "ball in hand".

For U10s the opposition team doesn't need to retreat, so seconds after the goalie has the ball, defenders are often marked, making it difficult for the goalie to distribute the ball easily. She doesn't have time to decide what to do as her options have been closed.

It's a bit unfair on the defending team especially at this age to literally have 2-3 seconds to decide what to do. Kicking from hand alleviates this problem somewhat. Although not ideal, it gives an extra option, and relieves the pressure on the goalkeeper and defenders.

I've looked through rules / online and can't see anywhere that explicitly says you can't kick from hand, as well as rolling / throwing / kicking on the floor. So I am assuming that it is OK to do all of these.

We as a team have been accommodating to the opposition and generally go with what they want, and realise that some teams do not have a regular goalkeeper. We are lucky in that we do have a keen goalkeeper who practices her kicks, but then is often unable to use that skill.

I just would like some consistency so there doesn't have to be an agreement before every match.

Thanks!

Robert