Penalty kick award
A one-on-one kick against the goalkeeper awarded when a defending player commits a direct-free-kick foul inside their own penalty area.
Overview
When a foul that would normally bring a direct free kick is committed by the defending team inside their own penalty area, the referee awards a penalty kick. The ball is placed on the penalty spot and one attacker takes an unobstructed shot against the goalkeeper.
All other players must stand outside the penalty area and behind the ball until it is kicked. The goalkeeper must stay on their goal line until the ball is struck.
Key points
- The offence must occur inside the defending team's own penalty area.
- Only the kicker and the goalkeeper are involved as the kick is taken.
- The goalkeeper must remain on the goal line until the ball is struck.
- Other players stay outside the area and behind the ball until it is played.
Where it’s used
Sports that use penalty kick award:
Football
The world’s most popular team sport — endless running, teamwork and community in one game.
Futsal
A fast, small-sided indoor form of football played on a hard court with a low-bounce ball.
Handball
A fast indoor team sport of passing, jumping and throwing to score with the hands.
Related rules
Offside
A rule that prevents an attacker from gaining an advantage by being positioned too close to the opponents' goal ahead of the ball and the last defenders.
Handball offence
A foul in football committed when an outfield player deliberately handles or controls the ball with the hand or arm.
Direct and indirect free kicks
The two types of free kick awarded in football to restart play after a foul or other stoppage.
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Penalty kick award in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
- OffsideBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Football learning path.
- Handball offenceBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Football learning path.
- Direct and indirect free kicksBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Football learning path.
- Yellow and red cardsBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Football learning path.
- Throw-inBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Football learning path.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Penalty kick award to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Officiating
- RefereeThe primary on-field official who enforces the rules, controls play, penalises fouls, awards restarts, and blows the whistle to start and stop a match.
- Video ReviewVideo review lets officials re-examine footage of a contested moment to confirm or overturn a close call — a goal, a line, a foul — an aid used across many sports.
- Foul callA foul call is an official's ruling that a player broke a rule of contact or conduct, triggering a penalty such as a free kick, free throw or penalty.
- Penalty SignalA standardized hand or flag signal an official uses to announce a foul, penalty, or restart so players, teammates, and spectators can read the call.
- AdvantageIn many sports, officials let play continue after a foul when stopping would help the offender, so the fouled team keeps the advantage it has gained.
Positions
Learning paths
- Learn FootballA structured, educational learning path for football — from the rules to skills, techniques, tactics and training.
- Learn FutsalA structured, educational learning path for futsal — from the rules to skills, techniques, tactics and training.
- Learn HandballA structured, educational learning path for handball — from the rules to skills, techniques, tactics and training.
Go deeper with Penalty kick award
Everywhere else on the platform that covers Penalty kick award — assembled from what actually references it, so nothing here is a dead end.
Learn it
Structured courses and paths on the platform that cover this directly.
Take it away
Open data and the whole-platform view of this subject.
How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Rule
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-12
Evergreen, first-party explanation — it makes no claim that needs an external source. How we handle sources and reviews.