A soccer penalty, also known as a penalty kick or spot kick, is a free kick that occurs when a player commits a foul in their own penalty area. The penalty taker gets one shot at the goal, which is defended only by the opposing team’s goalkeeper. Here are some rules for penalty kicks:
• The penalty kick is taken from the penalty spot, which is 11 meters (12 yards) from the goal line.
• The ball must be stationary, with part of it touching or overhanging the center of the penalty mark.
• The kicker must kick the ball forward and immediately.
• The goalkeeper can move along the goal line and jump up and down, but must have at least part of each foot on or above the line.
Penalties also seem to be our biggest fear when it comes to international tournament football!
Penalty kicks are a high-stress part of a match and can change the momentum of the game. If a team scores or defends a penalty kick well, it can swing the momentum in their favour. If teams are tied after extra time in a knockout match, a penalty shootout is used to determine the winner. The penalty shootout has been a part of knockout tournament football since the 1970s.
The notion of awarding a penalty for an infringement near to the goal in association football comes originally from Sheffield football. The idea a penalty goal being awarded for fouls committed by defenders within 2 yards of the goal was first suggested at a Sheffield FA meeting in 1879.
The invention of the actual penalty kick is credited to the goalkeeper and businessman William McCrum in 1890 in Milford, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. After some debate, the law was included into the rules of the game in June 1891. In 1891 the offence needed to be committed within 12 yards of the goal line. The penalty box and spot was introduced later in 1902. See the images.
The first ever penalty kick was awarded to Wolverhampton Wanderers in their game against Accrington at Molineux Stadium on 14 September 1891. The penalty was taken and scored by John Heath as Wolves went on to win the game 5-0. In Let’s hope England can ‘get the job done’ in at least the first 120 minuets of the match against Switzerland and we avoid the usual penalty pain.
Do you have more information about this that we could add? Are any of the facts wrong? Please get in touch if so.
Source: Steve Wood / various
