what does offside mean in football?
961459
It goes back to the first days of the Premier League. Offside means just that. When a player is past the second last defender, he is Off his Side and therefore not supposed to play the ball.\nWhen I went through referee school, Law 11, which covers Offside, is not even one complete page. BUT.... it had 2 videos, about 100 slides, and took over an hour of class time. But it is one of the most simple laws of soccer/football.
1076533
Very simple in fact.\n\nA person is considered offside if he is in a position where there are not at least 2 players between him and the opponents goal line.\nThese can be ANY 2 players though usually one of these will be the goalkeeper.\n\nThe rule is applied at the moment the ball is PASSED to the player and NOT when he receives it.\n\nSo, if a player in "onside" when a player kicks the ball to him but then advances up the field and the ball reaches him in an offside position then it is ok.\n\nThe reverse also applies. If he is in an offside position when the ball is passed to him and then heads back onside to get the ball then he is still considered offside.\n\nThree more exeptions to the rule.\n\n1. A player can not be offide within his own half of the field.\n\n2. A player is not offside if the ball was passed back by the opposition.\n\n3. A player is not offside if he is behind the ball when it is kicked to him. For example, a player managed to ran to the line and then passed back to a team mate. He can't be offside.
1078654
It doesnot matter whether the player is on right side or the left...If he crosses before the opponent team then he is given offside..on side is when the player is taking corner....
426634
The most confusing rule is OFFSIDE. This mainly means that an opposing player cannot be closer to the other team's goalie than that teams defensemen. He cannot take the pass from his teammate and go ahead if he is in an OFFSIDE position. This is the job of the linesmen (referees) to see and wave their flags. The linesmen also decide which team gets the THROW-IN, if there is a CORNER KICK or if the ball goes to the goalie for a KICK-IN. PENALTY SHOTS are awarded if a player is tackled unfairly in the goal area or if a defenseman touches the ball with his hand within the goal area. Yellow cards, warnings, are given by the referee for a lot of reasons, but mainly for dangerous play or for protesting or for delaying the game. Two warnings in the same match result in a RED card, meaning the player has to leave the field. There are more details but I think I covered the important points. Points are usually 3 for win, 1 for tie and 0 for loss.
793108
An offside is when a player crosses the blue line before the puck and the whistle is blown and a face off is taken just out side the blue line at one of the dots.\n\n__________________________blue line\n           \n------------------O--------------------- red line \n__________________________\nA penalty  is any illegal action usually physical hit to the head tripping etc. or bad sportsmanship the player is sent to the box for a period of time accordingly, 2, 5,10 minutes or the rest of the game or multiple games.
1043127
when a player (attacking side) receives a pass from his teammate , he needs to have atlease one defender  in front of him & the goal. if he gets a pass and no one except the keeper is there between him & the goal while defenders are behind him then its illegal or an off-side violation. The offside is determined / checked when the passing player releases the ball or kicks it.
883632
a player is in an offside position if there are fewer than 2 opponents nearer the other team's goal line (on the opponent's half of the field).  he is actually offside when he is in an offside position and the ball is played forward to him by a teammate.
1096139
-------------------------------\n************************\nO..........O.............O\n....................e .........\n............e+...............       \n\nthe O's represent the defending players and the e's represent the attacking players and the + represents the ball, the l****** is the goal line.\nOffside is when an attacking player passes the ball to a team mate when he is closer to the goal line than any of the defenders.\nif the pass was made in the formation of the diagram above then the player is not offside.\n\n***************************\n .......................e.............\nO..............O...........O.....\n .....................................\n..........e+........................      \n\nif the pass is made when the player is closer to the goal line than the defenders as in the diagram above then the player is offside.\nIt only counts if he is offside the moment the player making the pass strikes the ball to pass it.
1043432
Application\nThe application of the offside law is best considered in three steps; Offside position, Offside offence and Offside sanction.\n\n[edit]\nOffside position\n \nThe red forward on the left of the diagram is in an offside position as he is both in front of the second last defender (marked by the stippled line) and the ball.A player is in an offside position if "he is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second to last opponent", unless he is in his own half of the field of play. A player level with the second last opponent is considered to be in an onside position. Note that the last two opposing players can be either the goalkeeper and another outfield player, or two outfield players. Also note that offside position is determined when the ball is touched/played by a team-mate — a player's offside position status is not then altered by them or opposing players running forwards or backwards. It is important to note that being in an offside position is not an offence in itself. Another important point to note is that any player's offside position status is reset when an opponent touches the ball and is deemed by the referee to be in control of the ball.\n\n[edit]\nOffside offence\nA player in an offside position is only committing an offside offence if, "at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team", the player is in the referee's opinion involved in active play by: interfering with play; interfering with an opponent; or gaining an advantage by being in that position.\n\nDetermining whether a player is in "active play" can be complex. A player is not committing an offside offence if the player receives the ball directly from a throw-in, goal kick or corner kick.\n\nFIFA issued new guidelines for interpreting the offside law in 2003 and these were incorporated in law 11 in July 2005. The new wording seeks to more precisely define the three cases as follows:\n\nInterfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a teammate. \nInterfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent. \nGaining an advantage by being in an offside position means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a post or crossbar or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position. \nIn practice, a player in an offside position may be penalised before playing or touching the ball if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball.\n\nThe referees' interpretation of these new definitions is still proving controversial until this day, largely over what movements a player in an offside position can make without being judged to be interfering with an opponent.\n\n[edit]\nOffside sanction\nThe sanction for an offside offence is an indirect free kick to the opposing team, at the spot where the offence occurred. Most referees use their discretion and let play go on if the "offended" team already has the advantage or ball, in order not to slow down play with redundant free kicks that achieve the same purpose of giving the advantage or ball back to the "offended" team.\n\n[edit]\nOfficiating\nIn enforcing this rule, the referee depends greatly on his assistant referee, who generally keeps in line with the second last defender in his relevant end (exact positioning techniques are more complex).\n\nThe assistant referees' task with regards to off-side can be difficult, as they need to keep up with attacks and counter attacks, consider which players are in an offside position when the ball is played (often from the other end of the field), and then determine whether the offside positioned players become invo
1012348
The main consequence of the offside rule is decreasing the size of the "playable field". I believe it is an important rule, so it makes the game more plastic, enjoyable to watch. Without the rule, it would be more physical, those that could run better would have bigger advantage. Also, some of the best plays are about dealing with that rule. Without off-sides, there would be probably more goals, but they would be definitely, much worse-looking.\nIt is interesting to notice that, originally, the off-side rule was even more strict: it was necessary TWO defenders plus the goalie before the ball line to make the play legal. It changed long ago, in the early 1900's. Football originated from the same rules as rugby did, and this fact is an evidence of that.
656867
An attacker cannot be between the goalie and the last defender before the ball gets there.\n\nIf the ball goes past the last defender and you run after it, that's okay.  If you're just standing behind him/her waiting for the ball, you are offside.
1051346
if a player is beyond the defence of the opposition while the pass has been made to him, he is declared offside. so this player has to be behind the defensive line of the opposition to eliminate such an advantage.
1094066
It is too complicated to explain. You can have a look at the link below.\n\nIn brief. It is not allowed for a player of the opposite team to be near your goalpost unless he has the ball or he is "supervised" by your defender. \n\nThink of a hypothetical line that is parallel to the goal line and moves with your last defender (closer to your goalpost). An opponent should not pass this line unless he has the ball.The only other occasion he can pass it is when one of his teammates is throwing the ball to the open space so he can run and get it. This imaginary line is automatically canceled when the ball has passed it or it is between your last defender and your goalkeeper.\n\nA player can be in an offside position only in the opponents half of the field.\n\nIn this world cup a player can be on the other half of the field and not be in an offside position if he is not threatening the other team. This makes things more complicated. Most of the referees if a player is inactive on the other half of the field they say he is in an offside position the moment the ball is thrown over that imaginary line. They consider that in that moment is becoming active and he has not started behind the line to reach the ball so he is in offside.
566009
The rule was changed so that play would not be interrupted unnecessarily. Like you, I didn't quite get it. I looked up "new offside rule" on Google and came up with the link below. It seems to explain it quite well.
1087243
I assume you mean soccer since you posted this in the World Cup forum.\n\nI'm impressed that you know it is "offside" not "offsides"\n\nThere are two parts to offside: offside position and offside offence.\n\nOFFSIDE POSITION:\nIt is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position. A player is in an offside position if:\n* he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent.\nA player is not in an offside position if\n* he is in his own half of the field of play or\n* he is level with the second last opponent or\n* he is level with the last two opponents.\n\nOFFSIDE OFFENCE:\nA player in an offside position is only penalised if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by:\n* interfering with play or\n* interfering with an opponent or\n* gaining an advantage by being in that position.\n\nFor any offside offence, the referee awards an indirect free kick to the opposing team to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred.\n\nAlso, there is no offside offence if a player receives the ball directly from:\n* a goal kick or\n* a throw-in or\n* a corner kick
4151
An offside usually occurs when an offensive player is closer to the goal than the last defensive player when the pass is initiated.\n\nIn simpler terms:\nWhen a pass is made, an attacking player is nearer to the goal than any defensive player except the goalie :)
1146750
A free kick, in football (soccer), is an unobstructed kick of a stationary ball, especially one awarded when the opposition commits a foul.  Opposing players must stand at least ten feet away from the kicker.  \n\nThere are two types of free kicks in football (soccer):\n\n1. Direct Free Kick: a free kick in which a goal can be scored directly from this kick without the ball touching another player.\n\n2. Indirect Free Kick: a free kick awarded to a player for a "less-serious" foul committed by the opposing team.  A goal can only be scored on this kick after the ball has touched another player.\n\nI hope this answers your question!