Skills & science · 1872

Free kicks and the wall

Real football fact

The facts

At a free kick, every player on the other team must stand at least 9.15 metres (10 yards) from the ball until it is kicked.
When three or more defenders make a wall, the attackers must stay at least 1 metre away from it. This rule came in 2019.
From a direct free kick you can score straight into the goal. For an indirect free kick the referee raises an arm, and another player must touch the ball before a goal counts.
Free kicks for fouls joined the Laws in 1872, for handball. The direct free kick came in 1903.

1863: The first Laws already had a free kick, but only for a “fair catch”, when a player caught the ball cleanly.
1872: Free kicks for fouls began with handball. A goal could not be scored straight from that free kick.
1903: The direct free kick arrived: after some fouls you could now shoot straight into the goal.
1913: The distance for opponents went up from 6 yards to 10 yards, which is 9.15 metres.
2014: Vanishing spray at the World Cup: the referee sprays a foam line at 9.15 m, and it disappears within a minute.
2019: A new rule: attackers must stay at least 1 metre from a wall of three or more defenders until the ball is kicked.
2020s: Teams often put a player lying down behind the wall, so a low shot cannot sneak under the wall when it jumps.

Free kick for your team? Pick your spot before your run-up: over the wall, round it, or into the gap the keeper leaves.