• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
The real reason why it's called the 'offside' rule in football will surprise fans

Home> Football> Football News

Published 14:33 27 Jun 2025 GMT+1

The real reason why it's called the 'offside' rule in football will surprise fans

The offside rule has changed on several occasions since it was first introduced in 1863 - but its meaning has stayed the same.

Ryan Smart

Ryan Smart

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Football, FA, England, VAR

Ryan Smart
Ryan Smart

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.

Advert

Advert

Advert

The real reason behind the naming of the offside rule in football might surprise fans.

Offside in its current guise has, in fact, only been a part of football since 1990.

The sport's lawmakers, IFAB, decided to reduce the margin of an error for an attacker so that if they were level with the second-to-last opponent, they would be adjudged to be onside.

Advert

Previously, from 1925 up until then, a player would be offside unless two players - including the goalkeeper - were in front of him.

The rule itself as a concept was officially recognised by the FA in their Laws of the Game all the way back in 1863, after teams realised that players were gaining too much of an advantage.

In scenes equivalent to something you might see in primary school, attackers could stand on the opposing team's goalline and simply wait for the ball to be passed to them before scoring into an empty net.

The rule has undergone small changes in recent seasons in relation to VAR and the way that incidents are reviewed, but the core concept has remained effectively the same over the past 35 years of football.

Advert

But why is the rule called 'offside'?

The word itself was originally used as a military term, to describe a soldier that was trapped among enemy lines.

It was therefore brought in to prevent the forwards breaking through those enemy lines to attempt to score goals.

There is, of course, one specific exception to the rule.

Advert

If a player is inside his own half when the pass is played through, he cannot be offside - even if he is in front of the entire opposing team.

The reason behind this is because the distance involved between the player and the goal means it is deemed that they cannot have an advantage and therefore are not offside.

  • IFAB considering most controversial football rule change yet ahead of 2026 World Cup and fans are furious
  • The reason why it's called an 'oche' in darts may surprise fans
  • The real reason for the centre circle in football and what it's actually used for may surprise fans
  • The real reason why footballers don't take corners from inside the arc

Choose your content:

a minute ago
20 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • a minute ago

    Real Madrid 'consider' terminating contract of player who cost €30m and has never played a game for the club

    Real Madrid look set to terminate the player's deal before he even makes an appearance for the club.

    Football
  • 20 mins ago

    Real Madrid 'propose' stunning swap deal to sign Ibrahima Konate from Liverpool THIS summer

    Ibrahima Konate has been linked with a move away from Anfield.

    Football
  • an hour ago

    Jadon Sancho 'agrees' terms with new club as Man Utd fans left stunned by transfer fee for permanent exit

    Jadon Sancho has been linked with a move away from Manchester United.

    Football
  • 2 hours ago

    Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal plunged into chaos as shock Premier League club 'close in' on agreement with Sporting

    The Sporting star has been strongly linked with a Premier League move this summer.

    Football