[Law] New Laws. 19. Ball has reached or crossed the touchline ?

CrouchTPEngage


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Just re-reading the preamble DEFINITIONS to law 19.
There are some changes for this season (2017) and I wanted to get rid of some confusion that occurs to me here.
In some places , I read "if the ball has reached the plane of touch" and, in some other phrases we see "if the ball has crossed".

Specific sentence is :
A player in touch may kick or knock the ball, but not hold it, provided it has not crossed the plane of the touchline. The plane of the touchline is the vertical space rising immediately above the touchline.

Now, the distinction between "crossed" and "reached" is probably deliberate for this law.
But, just to satisfy my curiosity, do we all think "crossed" means that the entire circumference of the ball has passed over the entire plane of touch. The touchline is a white line of a specific width. Thus the projected "plane of touch" is actually a "Cuboid of touch".
My interpretation is that "crossed" means that the whole of the ball has thought the "cuboid of touch" such that it is clear of it.

Probably being pedantic, and in a game, we probably just have to take a view, but to help sell my decisions to players, it may help in certain rare situations.
 
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Phil E


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It's a fair point but not one I am going to worry about.
When I see it happen I will make a decision, that's all I can say.
 

crossref


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I think
- it is a plane of touch, which rises from the inside edge of the white line -- because the line itself is out.
- reached means some part of the ball touches the plane
- crossed means the whole of the ball has passed the plane

But doesn't at least one of the guidance notes for this seasons change say that for the purposes of the GLT crossed includes reached? Or something like that

Sigh, I'll re-read all that stuff the next time I'm an AR - as a ref you are not going to in position to make these fine judgements anyway
 

OB..


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The Definiton of Touch includes[LAWS][FONT=fs_blakeregular]The plane of the touchline is the vertical space rising immediately above the touchline[/FONT][/LAWS]
Since touching the line constitutes being in touch, this plane must arise from the inside (Field of play) edge of the line.

I suggest "reaching" and "crossing" should be considered the same ie "breaking the plane" as the NFL puts it..
 

CrouchTPEngage


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Thanks. Good point !
I'll amend my mental-model of the cuboid idea. Its a thin plane above the inside-edge of the white line. That sounds consistent.

It only came about because (it reads like) I now have to differentiate between events where the ball as reached and the ball "crossing" this line....
 

Thunderhorse1986


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I would be erring on the side of seeing all of the ball need to fully cross all of the line in order to ensure my decision that is has gone out is C&O. Also, the "intention" of the law appears to be to keep ball in play time at a maximum (as suggested at London conference by 2 Prem referees) then to comply with that I would want C&O that ball has gone out of play eg fully outside the plane of touch.
 

Thunderhorse1986


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Ammendment to above post - what others say makes sense to be fair - the plane starts on the inside of the line, given the line is out.
I would still err on side of clearly crossed that plane to be out - the law intention seems to be to keep the ball in play more?
 

ChrisR

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Read "crossed" as "reached". Good luck on determining the balls relationship to the invisible "plane of touch" several feet from the ground. Unless your managing the game from touch.

Specific sentence is :
A player in touch may kick or knock the ball, but not hold it, provided it has not crossed the plane of the touchline. The plane of the touchline is the vertical space rising immediately above the touchline.


That part happens about as often as your home insurance covering your broken A/C or a zombie apocalypse. The real impact of 'ball relative to plane of touch' is when a player with a foot in touch catches the ball. If the ball has not reached the PoT then the catcher is deemed to have taken the ball into touch. Likewise into the 22, goal and over the dead ball line. So, there won't be any doubt as to whether the ball is in touch. But who put it there? Kicker or catcher?
 
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