Throw-in

A throw-in is a way to restart a game in association football when the whole ball goes over the touchline. This rule is part of Law 15 of the Laws of the Game. In Scotland, people call it a shy.

A player taking a correct throw-in during a game.

Throw-ins are important because they give the team that did not touch the ball last a chance to bring the game back into play. The player standing along the touchline throws the ball back into the field, and their teammates try to gain control of it. This helps keep the game moving and fair for everyone.

Award

When the ball goes out past the touch-line on the side of the pitch, the other team gets a throw-in. This happens even if the player who last touched the ball did it on purpose or by mistake.

Procedure

When the ball goes out of bounds over the touch-line, a throw-in restarts the game. The player taking the throw-in stands where the ball crossed the line and throws it back into play with both hands behind their head. Opposing players must stay at least 2 meters away.

The ball is in play as soon as it enters the field. Players cannot score a goal directly from a throw-in. If they do, the other team gets a corner kick or a goal kick, depending on the goal. Players receiving a throw-in cannot be called offside. The best angle for throwing the ball far is about 30 degrees.

Offences

Opposing players must stay a short distance away before the ball is thrown back into play. If they don’t, they might get a warning (yellow card) for unsporting behavior. If the throw-in was already taken when the referee stops play for this rule break, the other team gets an indirect free kick.

If the player throwing the ball doesn’t follow the right steps or throws from the wrong spot, the other team gets to throw the ball instead. This is called a “foul throw.” But if the ball touches the ground before going into play (even if taken correctly), the same team throws again from where they started.

Stefan Nigro takes a throw-in for Melbourne Victory

It’s also against the rules for the thrower to touch the ball again before someone else has touched it. If this happens, the other team gets an indirect free kick from where the mistake occurred.

Players can’t pretend to throw the ball and then let a teammate do it, as this delays the game. Any player who delays the game too much might also get a warning.

Goalkeepers can’t catch a ball thrown directly by a teammate. If they try to get around this rule by first using their feet and then catching the ball, they get an indirect free kick if it happens inside their penalty area, or a direct free kick if it happens outside.

History

Before 1863

An early version of the throw-in is described in the novel Tom Brown's School Days, published in 1857. It was based on the author's time at Rugby School. In this version, when the ball went out of play, the first player to touch it would throw it straight back into the game.

The 1851 rules of Rugby School had a similar idea, but the ball was thrown in rather than struck. Other early rules, like those from Cambridge and Sheffield, also had their own versions of throw-ins or kick-ins. Some allowed the ball to be kicked in any direction, while others required it to be kicked straight.

The FA laws of 1863

Illustration of the line-out used at Rugby School (1845)

In 1863, the Football Association decided that when the ball went out of bounds, it should be thrown straight back into play by the first person to touch it. Later, this changed so that the team that did not kick the ball out would get the throw-in.

Subsequent developments

Over time, the rules about throw-ins changed. By 1877, the team that did not kick the ball out got the throw-in, and it could be thrown in any direction. In 1883, it was required to be thrown with two hands over the head.

There have been many other small changes to the rules over the years, like where the thrower must stand and how opponents may behave.

Summary

Date	Throw-in awarded to	Ball must be thrown in				Opponents may approach within 2 metres of thrower	Thrower may touch ball twice	Ball may be played before it		Goal may be scored from a throw-in		Player may be offside from a throw-in	Remedy for		Date
Date	Throw-in awarded to	at right angles to the touch-line	with two hands from above the head	from behind the head	with thrower facing the field of play	Opponents may approach within 2 metres of thrower	Thrower may touch ball twice	touches the ground	has travelled 6 yards	Attacking goal	Own goal	Player may be offside from a throw-in	foul throw	touching the ball twice	Date
1863	First player to touch the ball after it goes out of play	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	None	None	1863
1866							No	No	Yes						1866
1871									No						1871
1873	Opposite team to that which last touched the ball before it went out of play														1873
1877		No						Yes							1877
1878												Yes			1878
1882											Yes		Indirect free-kick to opponents	Indirect free-kick to opponents	1882
1883			Yes						Yes						1883
1895					Yes										1895
1898											No				1898
1920												No			1920
1931													Throw-in to opponents		1931
1965				Yes											1965
2005				Yes		No									2005

Unusual throw-ins

Long throws

Rory Delap was famous for his special way of throwing the ball in football. He was once a champion in throwing a javelin, and he could throw the ball really far—up to 50 yards—right into the six-yard box. Some teams in the English Football League used to give out towels to dry the ball so it would go better, but this stopped in the 2023–24 season to save time. Now, with the multiball system, players always have a dry ball to use. Wrexham A.F.C.’s Ben Tozer also became known for copying Delap’s long throws.

Michele Weissenhofer, a forward for Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer player attempting a flip throw

Flip throws

Another cool way to throw the ball faster is called the flip throw. Players run with the ball, flip over it, and use that flip to throw it quicker. A player from Estonia named Risto Kallaste and an Icelander named Steinþór Freyr Þorsteinsson have used this method. An American player named Michael Lewis set a record in Frisco, Texas in April 2019 with a throw that went over 59 meters! Some British players, like Dave Challinor and Andy Legg, also held this record before. An Iranian player named Milad Mohammadi tried this flip throw in a big match, and another player later scored a goal using it. This flip throw trick was invented by a young man named Tony Hyndman.