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Attacker Defender Goalkeeper
An Alternative to the Penalty Shootout
Attacker Defender
Goalkeeper
Introduction
Attacker Defender Goalkeeper (ADG) is an innovative and exciting alternative to the penalty shootout.
ADG features a series of ten contests, where an attacker kicks off from 32 yards and has 20 seconds to score a goal against a defender and goalkeeper.
ADG combines the skill, speed, athleticism and dynamic beauty of modern football, with the climactic drama and tension of penalties.
The underlying flaws with the penalty shootout are:
- It exposes players to psychological trauma, racial abuse and death threats.
- It fails to showcase the skill and athleticism of modern football.
- The team kicking first has 20% advantage.
ADG addresses these three issues and has seven fundamental advantages over penalties.
How does ADG Work?
The referee tosses a coin and the team that wins the toss, decides whether to attack or defend in the first contest.
The teams receive an additional substitution and corresponding substitution opportunity.
The referee meets with the teams and records their five attackers.
Having seen the first attacker, the opposition field their defender.
The defender and goalkeeper must be at least 10 yards from the ball until it is in play.
Half the field is in play.
The attacker kicks off 32 yards from the goal line.
The contest will end if any of the following occur:
- A goal is scored.
- The ball goes out of play.
- Goalkeeper controls the ball with hands inside the penalty area.
- 20 seconds elapse.
- The attacker commits a foul.
If the defender or goalkeeper commits a foul, the attacker is awarded a penalty kick, and the 20 second time limit is disregarded for the remainder of that contest.
Teams take turns attacking and defending.
Teams play a total of ten ADG contests.
At the completion of the contests, the team with the most goals is the winner.
If scores remain level, the same players from the first contest compete in the first sudden-death contest.
- One assistant referee stands in the centre circle of the disused half of the field and supervises the players currently not competing.
- The other assistant referee stands on the goal line.
- The attacking team’s goalkeeper remains behind the goal line assistant referee.
- The referee is positioned for a kick-off.
- The attacker kicks off from the ADG mark, which is 29.26m (32 yards) from the goal line.
- The defender and goalkeeper must be at least 9.15m (10 yards) from the ball until it is in play.
