Law 9 - The Ball In & Out of Play

Ball out of play
The ball is out of play when:

• it has wholly crossed the goal line or touch line whether on the ground or in the air
• play has been stopped by the referee

Ball in play
The ball is in play at all other times, including when:

• it rebounds from a goalpost, crossbar or corner flagpost and remains in the field of play
• it rebounds from either the referee or an assistant referee when they are on the field of play