THE KICK OFF

The kick off is a fairly uncomplicated affair, it starts the game off with what is known as a "placekick", it helps start the second half and of course when there is a goal the side who has just conceded gets to have possession. Easy! In the old days teams would also change ends at the event of every goal, just to be fair!

The kicking side must be behind the ball when the ko is taken, the ball must be kicked forward (1886) or it has to be retaken (1903). The ball must move and until 1997 it had to move a full circumference. The player first kicking off must not touch the ball immediately for a second time. Opponents have to be 10 yards from the ball-hence the centre circle.

Of course the kick off has been modified recently now and you will note that the ball must be passed backwards to the kicker's own player.

A team that is chosen to kick off at the start of a game cannot kick off for the second half but of course may kick off again having conceded a goal. In the early days, the team that had scored the goal had the honour of kicking off too.
The Reverend Vidal of the famous Wanderers, heroes of the 19th Century game, once dribbled through the opponents to score three goals in succession (1870s) but now the only time the goal scoring team gets to kick off having just scored is when the half time whistle blows immediately after a goal is scored and the scoring team has been asked to kick off for the second half....understand that?

Athlone Town scored against Limerick in the Irish league just before half time and there was no time for Limerick to kick off (August 1972). Athlone therefore had the honour and scored straight from the kick off. Wycombe Wanderers scored twice without their opponents, Peterborough United, touching the ball. (September 2000). The half time whistle went immediately after Jamie Bates had scored from a free-kick and Jermaine McSporran (I am not making this up) scored within ten seconds of the second half restarting.

A bizarre kick off  happened at Wimbledon in October 1984. Alan Cork put his side ahead and then Wimbledon scored again without touching the ball. Portsmouth kicked off and the ball was played back to Pompey's Noel Blake who slotted the ball past his own keeper without a Womble anywhere near it!

From 1997 a goal could be scored straight from the kick off, whereas previously this had not been possible. In fact one of my school team players, captain Fraser Payne, did this in a vital U18 school fixture away against Bradfield College from Berkshire, making us 1-0 up within seconds! Charterhouse won 4-1.

In January 1998 the Daily Telegraph recorded that Steve Hill of Pub side the White Hart did the same deed in the Hatfield Sunday League in December 1997.