7 Ways to Restart a Football Match: Kick-Offs, Dropped Balls, Throw-Ins and the Laws Behind Each One

A restart is the way play begins again after the ball goes out of play or the referee stops the match. The Laws of the Game, written by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), set out seven types of restart, each with its own rules on positioning, scoring and offside. Match timelines on RubiScore (https://rubiscore.com) record many of these moments. This list explains each restart, the law behind it and the details that most often surprise fans.

Why Restarts Matter

A large part of every football match is made up of restarts. Throw-ins, goal kicks, corners and free kicks occur many times in each game, and coaches plan routines for many of them. Understanding the rules explains why some goals stand and others do not, why offside is sometimes impossible and why players stand where they do.

The seven restarts are covered mainly by Laws 8 and 13 to 17. Here they are in turn.

1. The Kick-Off

The kick-off starts each half, each period of extra time and play after a goal. It is covered by Law 8.

The ball is placed on the centre mark, and all players must be in their own half. Opponents must be at least 9.15 metres, or 10 yards, from the ball until it is in play. The ball is in play once it is kicked and clearly moves.

Two details often surprise fans. First, since a law change in 2016, the ball can be kicked in any direction, including backwards. Before that, it had to move forward into the opponents' half. Second, a goal can be scored directly from a kick-off against the opponents. If a player somehow kicks the ball directly into their own goal from a kick-off, a corner kick is awarded to the opponents instead.

2. The Dropped Ball

The dropped ball, also covered by Law 8, is used when the referee stops play for a reason not covered by any other restart, such as an injury, outside interference or the ball hitting the referee in certain situations.

The procedure was changed significantly in 2019. Previously, the referee dropped the ball between players from both teams and it was often contested. Now the ball is dropped for one player of the team that last touched it, at the place where it was last touched. If play was stopped inside the penalty area, or the ball was last touched there, it is dropped for the defending goalkeeper inside their own penalty area.

All other players must be at least 4 metres, or 4.5 yards, away. A goal cannot be scored directly from a dropped ball. If the ball enters a goal without touching at least two players, play restarts with a goal kick or a corner kick instead.

3. The Free Kick

Free kicks, covered by Law 13, are awarded for fouls and other offences. They are either direct, from which a goal can be scored directly against the opponents, or indirect, from which the ball must touch another player before a goal can count.

Opponents must be at least 9.15 metres from the ball. When the defending team forms a wall of three or more players, attackers must stay at least 1 metre away from it, a rule introduced in 2019 to reduce pushing and holding in walls.

Free kicks taken by the defending team inside their own penalty area are in play as soon as the ball is kicked and clearly moves, following another 2019 change. Before that, the ball had to leave the penalty area.

4. The Penalty Kick

The penalty kick, covered by Law 14, is awarded for a direct free kick offence committed by a defender inside their own penalty area.

The ball is placed on the penalty mark. The goalkeeper must stay on the goal line between the posts, facing the kicker, until the ball is kicked, and must have at least part of one foot touching, in line with or behind the line at that moment. All other players must be outside the penalty area, behind the penalty mark and at least 9.15 metres from it, which is why the arc at the edge of the penalty area exists.

The kicker must kick the ball forward. Feinting during the run-up is allowed, but feinting to kick once the run-up has been completed is an offence.

5. The Throw-In

The throw-in, covered by Law 15, restarts play when the whole of the ball crosses the touchline. It is awarded to the opponents of the player who last touched the ball.

The thrower must face the field, have part of each foot on the touchline or on the ground outside it and throw the ball with both hands from behind and over the head. Opponents must stand at least 2 metres from the point of the throw.

A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in. If the ball is thrown directly into the opponents' goal, a goal kick is awarded. If it is thrown directly into the thrower's own goal, a corner kick is awarded. There is also no offside offence directly from a throw-in, which is why long throws into the box are so hard to defend.

6. The Goal Kick

The goal kick, covered by Law 16, restarts play when the whole of the ball crosses the goal line, without a goal being scored, having last been touched by an attacking player.

The ball is placed anywhere inside the goal area and kicked by a player of the defending team. Since 2019, the ball is in play as soon as it is kicked and clearly moves. It no longer has to leave the penalty area, which allows teams to play short passes to defenders standing inside the box. Opponents must remain outside the penalty area until the ball is in play.

A goal can be scored directly from a goal kick, but only against the opponents. There is no offside offence directly from a goal kick.

7. The Corner Kick

The corner kick, covered by Law 17, restarts play when the whole of the ball crosses the goal line, without a goal being scored, having last been touched by a defending player.

The ball is placed in the corner area nearest to where it crossed the line. Opponents must be at least 9.15 metres from the corner arc until the ball is in play. The ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves, so it does not need to leave the corner area.

A goal can be scored directly from a corner kick, but only against the opponents. Like throw-ins and goal kicks, there is no offside offence directly from a corner kick.

Patterns Across the Seven Restarts

Comparing the restarts side by side reveals a few consistent principles.

How Restarts Appear in Match Data

Restarts leave clear traces in football statistics. Corners, free kicks and penalties are counted in almost every match report, and throw-ins and goal kicks appear in more detailed datasets. Set-piece analysis separates chances created from these restarts from those created in open play.

The match timeline on RubiScore shows key events such as goals, cards, substitutions and penalties in the order they happened, which helps connect a restart to what followed. Reading the laws alongside the data makes it easier to understand why a goal from a corner stood, why no offside was given after a throw-in or why a drop ball went to only one team.

The Takeaway

Football has seven restarts: the kick-off, the dropped ball, the free kick, the penalty kick, the throw-in, the goal kick and the corner kick. Each has its own law and its own rules on distances, scoring and offside, and several were changed in 2016 and 2019 to make the game quicker and fairer.

Knowing them explains many of the small moments that decide matches. It also makes set-piece statistics easier to interpret, since each type of restart offers different opportunities and follows different rules.