Lesson overview

A draft lesson for review, designed for beginners aged 12+ and trainee officials. All situations are fictional teaching examples.

By the end, learners should be able to:

  • Justify a decision to apply advantage or stop play using observable details.
  • Distinguish an expected benefit from one that has actually developed.
  • Make a separate decision about disciplinary action.
  • Explain their reasoning clearly to a partner.

Use the learner print section for the worksheet. Keep the answer and teacher sections separate until discussion. Background reading: Football advantage explained.

Learner worksheet: make the decision

Name: ____ Date: ______

Work individually, then compare decisions with a partner. The referee has seen the incident in every scenario. Accept the stated foul classification; your task is to decide what happens next. Unless specified, nobody is injured, nobody has an earlier caution and there is no additional misconduct.

For each scenario record:

  1. Continue, stop now, or return to the original offence?
  2. Which detail supports your choice?
  3. What restart, if any, is needed?
  4. Is a card needed, and when?

Use the standard IFAB 2026/27 Laws for this exercise. SPA means stopping or interfering with a promising attack. DOGSO means denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Ask the teacher to explain unfamiliar terms before starting.

Eight decision scenarios

1. Open route forward

Near halfway, Blue 4 carelessly trips Red 8. This is neither SPA nor DOGSO. The ball reaches Red 7, who controls it facing forward with space and two supporting runners. What should the referee do?

2. Benefit never develops

Red 8 is carelessly tripped outside the penalty area. There is no tactical card offence. The referee briefly waits because Red 7 might collect the loose ball, but within two seconds Blue wins it before Red can use it. Decide what happens now.

3. The shot misses

Following a careless foul outside the penalty area, Red 9 receives the ball in space and takes an unimpeded shot. The referee judges that the anticipated advantage has fully developed. The shot passes over the crossbar without another touch. There was no SPA or DOGSO offence. Red asks for the original free kick.

4. Reckless challenge

Blue 6 recklessly tackles Red 10 outside the penalty area. Red 11 immediately gains controlled possession with a strong attacking opportunity. There is no serious injury, DOGSO or earlier caution. Decide both the immediate action and the disciplinary action.

5. Tactical foul

Blue 3 holds Red 7 to interrupt a promising attack. Red escapes and the referee judges that advantage has successfully restored the attack. The holding has no separate cautionable feature and is not DOGSO. What happens to the proposed SPA caution?

6. Dangerous tackle, little attacking benefit

At halfway, Blue 5 makes a tackle that the referee identifies as serious foul play. Red retains the ball but has no clear opportunity to score. Decide whether possession is enough to continue.

7. Apparent serious injury

Blue 2 carelessly trips Red 6 near halfway. Red 6 appears seriously injured. Red 9 collects the ball with space ahead. The foul has no SPA, DOGSO or other disciplinary element. What should take priority?

8. Goal after DOGSO

Outside the penalty area, Blue 4 pulls Red 9 back, committing DOGSO. The ball reaches Red 10 with a clear scoring opportunity; the referee applies advantage and Red 10 immediately scores. There is no independent misconduct. Decide whether the goal stands and whether Blue 4 receives a card.

Decision record — complete before viewing the answers
ScenarioDecision and supporting detailRestart, if neededCard and timing
1____________________________________________________
2____________________________________________________
3____________________________________________________
4____________________________________________________
5____________________________________________________
6____________________________________________________
7____________________________________________________
8____________________________________________________

Worked examples — reveal during discussion

Example A: possession with little benefit. A player is fouled near their own corner flag; a team-mate collects facing their own goal, tightly pressed with no useful outlet. Stopping is a defensible judgment: evaluate location and immediate attacking prospects rather than possession alone. Match atmosphere and offence severity also matter. IFAB practical guidance, section 1.

Example B: an opening disappears. After a foul, the referee expects a team-mate to break forward, but the ball is intercepted immediately before any benefit develops. Return to the foul within the brief assessment period; advantage does not require an instant whistle or an indefinite wait. IFAB Law 5.3, Advantage.

Explained answer key

  1. Continue. Red has a useful attacking opportunity. No restart or card is needed on these facts.
  2. Return to the foul. The expected benefit never developed: direct free kick at the foul, no card.
  3. Goal kick. A realised advantage is not undone by a missed shot. No card.

These decisions apply IFAB Law 5.3, Advantage, with foul classification under Law 12.1.

  1. Continue, then caution Blue 6 at the next stoppage. Advantage does not erase recklessness.
  2. Continue; no SPA caution. The restored attack removes that tactical caution, with no independent misconduct here.
  3. Stop; direct free kick and send off Blue 5. Serious foul play without a clear scoring opportunity rules out advantage.

See IFAB Law 12.4, Advantage.

  1. Stop for the apparent serious injury. Award the direct free kick for the trip; no card on the stated facts. See IFAB Law 5.3, Injuries and Law 12.1.

  2. Award the goal; no DOGSO card. In 2026/27, scoring as a result of advantage removes this disciplinary sanction. Independent misconduct would still require consideration. See IFAB Law 12.4, Advantage.

Teacher preparation and materials

Materials: learner print sections, separate answer copies, pencils, a timer and a board or paper pitch diagram. Counters are optional; no contact demonstration is needed.

Preparation: read the linked IFAB provisions and answer key. Print learner blocks only for initial distribution. Keep worked examples and solutions in the answer pack. Draw attacking direction clearly on the board. Explain the scenario vocabulary without identifying worksheet answers.

Scope: this is an introductory association-football lesson using the 2026/27 edition, not a certification assessment or a statement of a named league’s regulations. Ages 12+ describes the audience. Before using it for a real youth or grassroots competition, check that competition’s adopted edition and disciplinary procedures, including any temporary-dismissal arrangements. No local competition regulations have been verified for this draft.

30-minute teaching sequence
TimeActivityTeaching purpose
0–4 minutesIntroduce objectives and explain the worksheet vocabulary.Check that learners understand what each response column asks.
4–8 minutesPresent worked examples A and B orally from the separate answer pack.Model a decision supported by observable details.
8–18 minutesLearners complete all eight scenarios, first alone and then in pairs.Require a reason as well as a decision.
18–26 minutesRelease the answer key and discuss differences.Ask learners to revise one response and explain the revision.
26–30 minutesExit task: invent a short incident and list the information a referee needs.Assess whether learners separate immediate action, restart and discipline.

Teacher notes and assessment

Keep all solutions in the answer pack. Invite learners to point to the decisive phrase in each scenario before revealing its answer.

For assessment, award one point for a coherent immediate decision, one for a relevant reason and one for the restart/card combination: 24 points available. Use errors diagnostically rather than as an officiating qualification. Accept equivalent plain-language explanations.

Support beginners by reading scenarios aloud and letting them use counters. Ask trainee officials which additional observation could change their judgment. Keep invented variations separate from the supplied facts.

The practical guidance identifies four considerations: seriousness, field position, immediate attacking prospects and match atmosphere. These help explain judgment; they are not a numerical checklist. IFAB practical guidance, section 1.

For further study, use Fouls and cards and DOGSO and stopping promising attacks. This lesson concentrates on advantage decisions rather than repeating the existing handball or offside worksheets.

Official sources checked for this draft