Preliminaries

A coin is tossed and the team which wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half of the match. The other team takes the kick-off to start the match. The team which wins the toss takes the kick-off to start the second half of the match. In the second half of the match the teams change ends and attack the opposite goals.

Kick-off

A kick-off is a way of starting or restarting play:

• at the start of the match

• after a goal has been scored

• at the start of the second half of the match

• at the start of each period of extra time, where applicable A goal may be scored directly from the kick-off.

Procedure

• all players are in their own half of the field

• the opponents of the team taking the kick-off are at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball until it is in play

• the ball is stationary on the centre mark

• the referee gives a signal

• the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward

• the kicker does not touch the ball a second time until it has touched another player. After a team scores a goal, the kick-off is taken by the other team. 

Infringements/sanctions

If the kicker touches the ball a second time before it has touched another player:

• an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred

For any other infringement of the kick-off procedure:

• the kick-off is retaken 

Dropped ball

A dropped ball is a way of restarting the match after a temporary stoppage which becomes necessary, while the ball is in play, for any reason not mentioned elsewhere in the Laws of the Game. 

Procedure

The referee drops the ball at the place where it was located when play was stopped. Play restarts when the ball touches the ground.

Infringements/Sanctions

The ball is dropped again:

• if it is touched by a player before it makes contact with the ground

• if the ball leaves the field of play after it makes contact with the ground, without a player touching it 

Special circumstances

A free kick awarded to the defending team inside its own goal area is taken from any point within the goal area. An indirect free kick awarded to the attacking team in its opponents’ goal area is taken from the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred.

A dropped ball to restart the match after play has been temporarily stopped inside the goal area takes place on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the ball was located when play was stopped.