Offside or Not Offside? How to take Players in the Substitution Box into Consideration. May 21, 2021 World Games 2014 0 Forum Questions Counting forward, Team A has six players on the attacking half of the field; there is also a player in the substitution box who has not yet entered the field of play (let's assume he is not delaying substitution with the intention of gaining an unfair advantage and there are no players serving a penalty). Is the player in the box considered to be in the offensive half or defensive half of the field when we are counting? Or is he not part of the count until he actually enters the field of play? I ask because from the opposite side of the field it is difficult for the official to see whether that player is on or not on the field. Question File Add new DuBan's Answer: Visual Text Kratz's Answer: Visual Text McCarrick's Answer: Visual Text Riti's Answer: Visual Text Tyma's Answer: Visual Text For purposes of determining whether a team is offside, players in the substitution/penalty box are counted only when they are serving penalties. In this example, the player in the box is waiting to enter the game (substituting), not serving a penalty. The relevant rule: <em>RULE 4 SECTION 10 ART. 1 (p. 41) . . . A team is considered offside when it has: </em> <em>a. more than six players in its offensive half of the field (between the centerline and the end line) including players in the penalty box, or</em> <em>b. more than seven players in its defensive half of the field (between the centerline and the end line) including players in the penalty box.</em> Answer File Question Answered Yes No
