Before 1863 Analogues of the goal kick are found in early codes of football. The first published set of rules for any code of football, that of
Rugby School (1845), featured a "kick out" from ten yards or twenty-five yards after a team touched the ball down in its own goal area. This was the ancestor of the
22-metre drop out in modern
rugby union. A similar 25-yard "kick out" was found in the first version of the
Sheffield rules (1858). The
Cambridge rules of 1856 provided for a kick-out from "not more than ten paces", while the
Melbourne Football Club rules of 1859 stipulated a 20-yard "kick off". Published laws of the
Eton field game (1857) and
Harrow football (1858), meanwhile, provided for a defensive kick-off from the goal-line itself whenever the ball went behind the goal without the attacking team scoring.
1863 FA rules The original FA rules of 1863 defined the "free kick from the goal line", the ancestor of the goal-kick, thus: There are several differences between this "free kick from the goal line" and the modern goal-kick: • It was awarded when the defensive team was the first to touch the ball down
after it had crossed the goal-line. This contrasts with modern association football, which awards the goal-kick against the last team to touch the ball
before it went out of play. • It was taken from the goal line itself. • It was taken in line with the spot where the ball was touched down. • It could be taken "in such manner as the kicker may think fit"—i.e. as a punt, drop-kick, or place-kick. It was not possible for a player to be
offside from such a kick, a feature of the laws that has remained constant to the present day.
1866–1873 developments In 1866, the law was changed to award a goal-kick to the defending team regardless of which team touched the ball. (If the attacking team touched the ball down, it was awarded a "
touch down", which served as a tie-breaker if the match ended level on goals; however the defending team was still awarded a goal-kick.) In 1867, following an amendment proposed by
Wanderers FC, the law was simplified; both the requirement for a touch-down, and the short-lived "touch-down" tiebreaker, were completely removed from the laws. The goal-kick could now be taken from any point "within six yards from the limit of [the] goal", and the opponents were forbidden from approaching within six yards of the ball. One problem with these early rules was mentioned at the 1867 FA meeting: This state of affairs lasted until 1872, when the
corner-kick law was introduced from
Sheffield rules football. Under the 1872 law, a goal-kick could be awarded only when the ball was kicked directly
over the goal (by either side). When the ball crossed the goal-line to
the side of the goal, a corner-kick was awarded to either the attacking or defensive side, depending on which team last touched the ball before it went out of play. This law was rewritten the next year (1873) on the basis of a proposal by
Great Marlow FC: a goal kick was awarded when the ball was kicked out of play over the goal-line by the attacking side. The kick had to be taken from within six yards of the nearest goal post. The 1873 law ran:
Subsequent changes Name The phrase "goal kick" is recorded in general usage as early as 1867, but does not appear in the laws of the game until 1890.
Position of the kick The goal kick of 1873 was taken from "within 6 yards of the goal post nearest the point where the ball went out of play". In 1891, pitch markings were added to define the six-yard radius from each goal-post. In 1902, the term "
goal area" was introduced for the place from which the goal kick was taken; it assumed its modern dimensions as a rectangle extending six yards from each goal post. The goal-kick had to be taken from the half of the goal area nearest to the spot where the ball went out of play. This requirement was removed in 1992, when it was permitted to take the goal-kick from any point within the goal-area. This change was made in order to "eliminate[] one of the common timewasting tactics".
Position of opponents In 1913 and 1914, the distance opponents were required to retreat was increased from six yards to ten yards. In 1948, opponents were required to be completely outside the penalty area when the goal-kick was taken.
Putting the ball into play In 1905, it was specified that the ball "must make a complete circuit or travel the distance of its circumference" before being in play. In 1936, after a proposal by the
Scottish Football Association, a new restriction was added: it was specified that the goal-kick must leave the penalty area before becoming in play; if the ball does not leave the penalty area, the kick has to be retaken. The goalkeeper was also explicitly forbidden from "receiv[ing] the ball into his hands from a goal-kick in order that he may thereafter kick it into play". In 2019, the requirement that the ball had to leave the penalty area was removed: the ball became in-play as soon as it was kicked and clearly moved.
Scoring a goal from a goal kick In 1890, it was forbidden to score a goal directly from a goal-kick. In 1997, the laws were amended to allow a goal to be scored directly from a goal-kick, but only against the opposing team.
Touching the ball twice from a goal kick In 1890, the player taking the goal kick was forbidden from touching the ball a second time before it had touched another player. In 1905, encroachment by the opposition at a goal-kick was also punished with an indirect free-kick. This penalty was removed in 1937. In 1997, the laws explicitly stated that, in the case of encroachment by the opposition, the kick should be retaken.
Summary This table describes all kicks awarded to the defending team after the ball goes out of play over the goal line, including the defensive corner kick from the 1872 laws. ==Footnotes==