Before you start: the Laws and your competition rules
Two documents decide what you do on a grassroots pitch. The first is the IFAB Laws of the Game, which apply to every match. The second is your competition's own rules, which cover the things the Laws leave open: match length, substitutions, sin bins and who may help you. Check both before your first appointment.
The Laws changed on 1 July 2026, so use this season's edition. This is a practice set, not an official test, and it does not replace the Laws or your league's rules. If anything here disagrees with them, they win.
Most grassroots matches have no neutral assistants. Where clubs supply them, they usually help you with the ball out of play. Agree before kick-off what they will and will not signal, and remember that the decision is always yours.
Restarts: four decisions to practise
Restarts happen dozens of times a match, so small mistakes here repeat all afternoon. Cover the answer, make your call, then check.
The thrower lifts a foot
Law 15
A defender takes a throw-in near the halfway line. As the ball leaves their hands, their back foot lifts completely off the ground at the moment of release.
What is your call?
Show the answer
- Decision
- Foul throw. The throw-in was not taken correctly.
- Restart
- Throw-in to the opposing team, from the same place.
- Sanction
- None. It is a restart error, not misconduct.
- Say or signal
- Point firmly in the direction the other team is attacking, and say “Foul throw, their ball.”
On the pitch: Watch the feet and the point of release together. Some officials only watch the arms.
The goal kick that never leaves the area
Law 16
The goalkeeper takes a goal kick. It rolls forward a few metres but stays inside the penalty area. A team-mate runs onto it and plays it on.
What is your call?
Show the answer
- Decision
- Play on. The ball is in play as soon as it is kicked and clearly moves.
- Restart
- None needed. You do not retake it.
- Sanction
- None.
- Say or signal
- Nothing to signal. Say “Play on” if players hesitate.
On the pitch: Old habits die hard. Many players, and some referees, still expect the ball to leave the area first.
The corner taker plays it twice
Law 17
The taker plays the corner short along the goal line. The ball is clearly in play and moving, no one else has touched it, and the taker runs after it and plays it again.
What is your call?
Show the answer
- Decision
- The taker touched the ball a second time after it was in play, before any other player had touched it. That is an offence.
- Restart
- Indirect free kick to the opposing team, from where the second touch took place.
- Sanction
- None.
- Say or signal
- Arm raised vertically and held until the ball is played or goes out of play.
The throw-in that is going nowhere
Law 15
It is 1-0 with ten minutes left. The ball goes out and the nearest defender walks off to collect it, then spends a long time wiping it down and looking for a team-mate.
What is your call?
Show the answer
- Decision
- Unfair delay of a throw-in. Whistle and start the five-second visual countdown with a raised hand.
- Restart
- If the throw-in is not taken by the end of five seconds, it goes to the opposing team.
- Sanction
- A caution only if the player then excessively delays the restart. The countdown itself is not a card.
- Say or signal
- Whistle, raised hand, visible count on your fingers.
On the pitch: This is new for 2026/27. Our guide to the 2026/27 Law changes covers the other eight.
Offside: two situations without neutral assistants
Offside is the Law new referees fear most, mainly because you may be judging it without a neutral assistant. Take your position early, get a clear view of the second-last defender and the ball where you can, and be honest about what you can and cannot see. These two cases are decisions you can make on your own.
The striker behind the last defender at a corner
Law 11
A corner is swung in. An attacker is standing well beyond the last defender, in an offside position, when the kick is taken. A team-mate heads the ball to them.
What is your call?
Show the answer
- Decision
- No offside offence. A player cannot be offside directly from a corner, goal kick or throw-in.
- Restart
- Play on. If the attacker scores, it is a goal.
- Sanction
- None.
- Say or signal
- Play on, or, if a goal is scored, point to the centre circle.
On the pitch: The exemption applies only if the player receives the ball directly from the corner kick. Once the ball has been played on, offside applies again.
The attacker in the goalkeeper’s eyeline
Law 11
A shot is struck from the edge of the area. An attacker is in an offside position, standing a yard in front of the goalkeeper. They do not touch the ball, but the goalkeeper has to move around them and cannot make a clean save. The ball goes in.
What is your call?
Show the answer
- Decision
- Offside offence: the player was in an offside position and interfered with an opponent by obstructing the goalkeeper’s line of vision.
- Restart
- Disallow the goal. Indirect free kick to the defending team where the offside player was.
- Sanction
- None.
- Say or signal
- Raised arm for the indirect free kick. Say “Offside, he blocked the keeper.”
On the pitch: You decide this, as a referee working alone. See the note below on club assistants.
If a club assistant raises their flag
Whatever your competition rules say, a club assistant is helping you, not deciding for you. Use their flag as information, make your own call, and speak to both assistants before the match about exactly what you expect from them.
Fouls and misconduct: four matchday scenarios
These are the calls that carry a card and, often, a report afterwards. Decide the restart first, then the sanction.
The two-footed lunge
Law 12
A midfielder goes in two-footed, studs showing, at speed, from the side. They get the ball first but follow through into the opponent’s shin.
What is your call?
Show the answer
- Decision
- Serious foul play. Winning the ball does not matter if the challenge uses excessive force or endangers the opponent’s safety.
- Restart
- Direct free kick to the opposing team (or a penalty, if it was inside the penalty area).
- Sanction
- Red card, and the team plays one player short.
- Say or signal
- Whistle, show the red card, then point the direction of the free kick.
On the pitch: Note the minute, the player’s number and exactly what you saw. You will need these for your report.
The arm that stops a certain goal
Laws 12 and 14
A shot is heading for the net. A defender on the line sticks an arm out away from their body and stops it.
What is your call?
Show the answer
- Decision
- Deliberate handball that denies the opposing team a goal. The arm made the body bigger.
- Restart
- Penalty kick.
- Sanction
- Red card for denying a goal by handling the ball.
- Say or signal
- Whistle, point to the penalty mark, show the red card.
The tackle that tries for the ball
Law 12
A forward is through on goal inside the penalty area. The defender slides in and genuinely tries to win the ball, but takes the forward down instead.
What is your call?
Show the answer
- Decision
- Foul that denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, but the defender made a genuine attempt to play the ball.
- Restart
- Penalty kick.
- Sanction
- Yellow card, because the offence was an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball. It is a red card for serious foul play, holding, pulling, pushing, or when there was no possibility of playing the ball.
- Say or signal
- Whistle, point to the penalty mark, show the yellow card.
On the pitch: If you play advantage after a DOGSO offence and the attacking team scores, the offender is not cautioned or sent off for that offence. This is also new this season.
Four players around you after a decision
Law 12 and the “Only the captain” guidelines
You award a free kick. Four players from the other team run towards you shouting. Their captain stands a few metres back, calling for calm.
What is your call?
Show the answer
- Decision
- Dissent by action. Where “Only the captain” applies, only the captain may come within 4 m (4.5 yds) of you. Other players who approach can be cautioned.
- Restart
- The free kick goes ahead as awarded.
- Sanction
- Caution (yellow card) for dissent by action. If more than one player enters the captain-only zone, at least one must be cautioned, usually the first to arrive or the most aggressive. Report the incident after the match. If the goalkeeper is captain, the referee must be told by the coin toss which player is nominated to approach the referee instead.
- Say or signal
- Blow the whistle and tap your arm, as if pointing to a captain’s armband, so everyone knows only the captain may approach. Send the players back and speak to the captain.
On the pitch: “Only the captain” is not compulsory this season (it becomes compulsory for all competitions starting on or after 1 July 2027), but some leagues already apply it. Ask your referee secretary whether it applies in your competition and whether you can start it yourself during a match.
Turn your wrong answers into next week's practice
Count how many you got right, but pay more attention to the ones you missed. Write down the Law number next to each miss and put those Laws at the top of your revision list for the week.
- Missed a restart? Read Laws 15 to 17 once more and say the restart out loud as you drive to your next match.
- Missed offside? Read Law 11 and focus on the exemptions and on interfering with play, an opponent and the goalkeeper.
- Missed a sanction? Read Law 12 and practise the question “what is the restart, and what is the card?” in that order.
Now try it on the interactive quiz
The free Laws of the Game quiz lets you pick your level, from 9 to 4, and gives you an explanation for every answer. No sign-up is needed. For regular practice between matches, the Laws module in penalty.app keeps questions matched to your grade.
Try the free Laws of the Game quiz →FAQ
- Is this an official Laws of the Game test?
- No. It is a practice set written for new referees in England. It does not replace the official IFAB Laws, FA guidance or the rules of your own competition.
- Where can I find a Laws of the Game quiz with answers online?
- This page gives you ten scenarios with the decision, restart and sanction explained. The free penalty.app quiz lets you choose your level and shows an explanation for every answer, with no sign-up needed.
- Do I need the 2026/27 Laws for the quiz?
- Yes. The Laws changed on 1 July 2026, so use the current IFAB Laws of the Game for this season. Scenario 4 uses one of the new rules.
- What if my league rules differ from the Laws?
- Competition rules cover things such as substitutions, sin bins, match length and who may act as assistants. Always read your own rules alongside the Laws.