If you are a new follower of football, or even old ones who do not pay attention to details, you will surely be stopped and curious about the presence of arches inside the stadiums, which are located in more than one angle.

There are 8 arcs distributed over different areas of the playing court, two of which are on the edge of the penalty area, and two of them in the middle of the field form the center circle.

There are also 4 other arcs on the four corners of the stadium, with an arc in each corner.

Each of these eight brackets has a function or legal role related to it, which we will explain in the following lines.

midfield arc

The center circle is drawn with a 10-yard radius marker (1 yard = 0.9144 metres), centered by the white marker located exactly at the center of the playing court.

A circle is drawn on both sides of the field with an arc on each side. Its main function is to prevent players from being inside it, and to keep them away during the kick-off of the match, or to resume play after scoring a goal for one of the two teams.

Regardless of where the opponent is, he must stand 10 yards from the start or resumption of play.

The central circle is also used to stop the players when the match reaches the penalty shootout, which makes it easier for the referee and the fans to know the paying player, who has already done so and who is the next player, while he is heading to implementation.

arc penalty area

These two arcs are located in the upper area of ​​the penalty area border, drawn 9 yards from the penalty mark, and are not a semicircle, but an arc.

The function of this arc is that it prevents any player from being inside it or in the penalty area while a player is taking a penalty kick.

This arc allows the player to carry out the penalty kick with complete ease, as the law prohibits all players, whether from the team benefiting from the penalty kick or the opponent, from being inside the area or even inside the arc.

By law, all players are required to stand within 12 yards of the penalty kick.

The arc in question forces each player, regardless of his position, to stand outside the penalty area and at the same distance from the ball.

Accordingly, the referee may decide to repeat the penalty kick if it was recorded and it is confirmed that one of the players of the team benefiting from it has entered the penalty area.

The same decision is also made if the goalkeeper succeeds in saving the ball, at a time when one of his teammates enters the same area.

Corner kick brackets

This arc is drawn as a quarter of a circle with a radius of one yard, and is the standard size for all arcs on the four corners of the court.

This arc allows the footballer to take the corner kick from anywhere he wants, provided that the ball is inside the arc or anywhere on the line.

With regard to the existing flag stick, it does not obstruct the execution of the corner kick, and the player has the right to do so either on the right or left of the flag.

The law categorically forbids moving or changing the corner flag, whatever the circumstances and arguments, and the player is not allowed to remove it, bend it or place it in another place.

The player has the right to return the corner flag to its normal place if he realizes or feels that it is in a place other than its original place.

Meanwhile, if the opposing team wants to form a human wall, it must stand on a designated line, placed 10 yards from the furthest point on the arc line.

This distance gives the player taking the corner kick full of comfort and freedom to play it correctly, and also contributes to reducing the force of the kick if the ball hits the opposing player.

This mark helps the referees know the player's commitment to standing at the legal distance, which saves time and effort for everyone.

This mark also prohibits substitute players from warming up in the area between that mark and the goal.