Football Language: Byline
The football pitch is marked with white lines to help players, the referee and spectators better follow the game. So, for example, we have the penalty area, the six-yard box, the centre circle and of course the touchline. The lines that run at either end of the pitch are known as the bylines. Attacking teams try to take the ball to the byline as it opens up spaces and makes it difficult to defend. The byline. A - Example:A The winger reached the byline and pulled the ball back to the striker who scored.
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When defining the colloquialism “byline,” no one has ever referred to how this term came about. It’s never been in the Laws of The Game (Law 1). So why did commentators begin using it? Where’d it come from? Even as professional referees we’ve never used it.
There is no byline..
Check law 1. It’s a goal line
Hi Colin,
Yes, the ‘laws’ say the two shorter lines are the goal lines, but usage means that bylines is a common way of saying the same thing. Here are some examples from our database on Premier League football match reports from the 2019-20 season:
‘The Kop was roaring as Liverpool’s attack hemmed Arsenal’s defenders onto the byline and Sadio Mane hurtled into dispossess Ainsley Maitland-Niles’
‘Coleman surged down the right flank unchallenged before slipping in Richarlison, who eased to the byline before standing up a cross for Calvert-Lewin’
‘after Ricardo Pereira reached the byline on the right his perfectly placed cut-back gave Wifred Ndidi almost too much time to finish’
And here’s another about the cross that led to Japan’s famous winning goal against Spain in the 2022 World Cup (Eurosport.com):
‘FIFA have shown why Japan’s much-debated winning goal against Spain was valid, explaining that the whole ball didn’t cross the line despite what “misleading images” might suggest. Ao Tanakaa€™s second-half strike sparked huge debate as camera angles made it difficult to see if the ball had crossed the byline or not. It earned Japan a famous 2-1 win that saw them win Group E and sealed Germany’s exit’
Cheers,
Damon
Thanks Belper Bren for the comment.
Yes, the line that runs across from one corner flag to the other through the goal is, of course, known as the goal line though sometimes the part of the goal line that is not actually in the goal area (from the corner flag to the penalty area) can be referred to as the byline (e.g reach the byline, crossed from the byline)
Damian
I’m sorry but for the 55 years I have been on this planet, 45 of them involved with the beautiful game, I think both Pele and I would like to refer to the lines running through the goal posts from each corner flag As GOAL LINES!! The Laws have never referred to them as bylines. Stop this nonsense please.
Then What is Byline by your own definition?
Here is an example from the BBC Football Page: ‘Kanu get[s a] free kick near the corner flag. Okocha cross headed away by Lucio. Udeze gets to the left byline and a looping cross is cleared’
The by line refers to the part of the goal line that is not part of the goal itself (Wikipedia)