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Importance of corner flags

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Could someone please enlighten me as to the importance of corner flags to the extent that they mandatory yet goal nets are optional.

Corner flags get in the way of a kicker trying to take a corner, often in the past they have been kicked or chucked out of the way when someone takes a corner, I’m struggling to see how they are a necessity but goal nets aren’t?
 
The Ref Stop
Firstly, before answering your question, if players are chucking flags out the way you should stop them and make them replace it before taking the kick. As you say, they're mandatory and players are obliged to work around them.

The flag exists to help you make a distinction between a throw-in and a GK/corner. It's for this reason that the corner flags are technically mandatory, while the half-way flags are entirely optional. Corner kicks have to be taken around the flags because otherwise the referee would have to monitor for fouls in the goalmouth at the same time as he monitors the replacement of the flags, which makes me feel ill just thinking about.

It's also worth pointing out that the spirit of the game clause specifically picks out corner flags as being something that is mandatory, but also isn't actually required for a game to go ahead. Thanks for that IFAB.
 
Men in Black said:
chucked out of the way when someone takes a corner
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santa sangria said:
Mandatory caution
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I am struggling to find where in law makes this mandatory caution.

Men in Black said:
Could someone please enlighten me as to the importance of corner flags to the extent that they mandatory yet goal nets are optional.

Corner flags get in the way of a kicker trying to take a corner, often in the past they have been kicked or chucked out of the way when someone takes a corner, I’m struggling to see how they are a necessity but goal nets aren’t?
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Simples. Corner flags make a factual event remain factual. Ball goes out either to left or to the right of the flag. Compare it to when the ball goes out above the corner flag, takes some guess work and it could still be six one way, half dozen the other.

Goal nets makes no difference to the actual fact. Its either a goal or no goal determined bay the goalposts and crossbar, with or without nets. Nets can help you get your get your decision right (or the ones with holes mislead you to a wrong decision) but the facts of if a goal has been scored or not does not change.
 
Right firstly nobody has chucked a flag out of the way in any of my games but I’ve seen it plenty of times over the years, obviously I’d advise the kicker to replace the flag before taking the corner.

Second of all I gathered the reason for the flag was to determine throw or corner/gk but my theory is if you played with no flags the only time you would not be able to distinguish where the ball left play is if it actually rolled exactatly through the spot where you place the flag, so in other words how often in a game does a ball hit the flag (not often) how often does the ball leave play above flag height (often).

So basically the flag is there incase the ball hits the flag in a funny kind of way.

It was a question in our exam and it got me thinking that of all the things that are mandatory equipment wise I’m surprised flags come before nets, I’d feel 100% less keen to play a game with no nets over a game with no flags.
 
one said:
I am struggling to find where in law makes this mandatory caution.


Simples. Corner flags make a factual event remain factual. Ball goes out either to left or to the right of the flag. Compare it to when the ball goes out above the corner flag, takes some guess work and it could still be six one way, half dozen the other.

Goal nets makes no difference to the actual fact. Its either a goal or no goal determined bay the goalposts and crossbar, with or without nets. Nets can help you get your get your decision right (or the ones with holes mislead you to a wrong decision) but the facts of if a goal has been scored or not does not change.
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Would be very interesting to see how many goals are given / not given with no nets..

I’d hazard a guess that there would be world war 3 on parks up & down the country.

I’d rather get a corner wrong than a goal.
 
I've had players remove flags to take corners (in tight corner situations), sadly for them, if i've seen it i've ensure that they were replaced before the corner was taken.. I don't think a caution is in order for this unless he's gone to damage in any way!!
 
Try reffing a game without corner flags.
Say a ball goes over the touch line, but travelling mostly along it. So it's out, but still rolling next to the touch line and down past the goal line.
If you don't have an AR then this becomes very difficult to tell if it went out over the side or end line. Even closer to the corner - a ball rebounds off a player 5 yards away from the corner and travels down towards the corner. You don't realise how much of a difference the corner flag makes until you try to judge those.

I do think that nets should also be compulsory because I'd argue they're far more important. But you should always check the competition rules - usually they'll require nets anyway.
 
santa sangria said:
Mandatory caution

(623 people are gonna come and say the same)

MiB - you haven't made through the book yet have you... ? ...ditch the motor and get the bus for a few days;)
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Could be tricky, I’m a bus driver.


Lol joke I am a van driver though.
 
They do help a bit I suppose, it’s quite funny when a player is shielding the ball out of play from another and the flag comes into play in their merry dance!
 
It happens fairly frequently when the ball hits the corner flag and either stays in, goes out for a throw or goes out for a goal kick. How on earth are you going to make a decision if that happens with no corner flag?
 
Men in Black said:
Second of all I gathered the reason for the flag was to determine throw or corner/gk but my theory is if you played with no flags the only time you would not be able to distinguish where the ball left play is if it actually rolled exactatly through the spot where you place the flag
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That's not right - on some pitches it's quite hard to see the lines and the flags make it much easier to decide.

Having said that, flags are not critical. I quite often ref on 4G pitches with no flags. Corner flags are technically compulsory but I'm not going to refuse to ref if they're not there. I *will* insist on them being replaced or removed if they are under height or pointy on top.
 
RustyRef said:
It happens fairly frequently when the ball hits the corner flag and either stays in, goes out for a throw or goes out for a goal kick. How on earth are you going to make a decision if that happens with no corner flag?
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Refereed 15 odd games this season can’t say I can remember the ball hitting the corner flag once.
 
Sheffields Finest said:
They do help a bit I suppose, it’s quite funny when a player is shielding the ball out of play from another and the flag comes into play in their merry dance!
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That's always fun. I always find it interesting when there's 2 defenders, but none of them think to run off the field to tackle from the front.

I've sometimes run off the corner to get in front of the players as a ref in this scenario..
 
The only games I have done with corner flags has been top level amateur games, pro youth games and some junior (semi-pro here) games - I don't see an issue with having corner flags or not, I'd be more concerned about the lack of nets. I've never been in a league or competition where nets haven't been mandatory and imo they should be mandatory in LOTG (obviously there's a more technical reason they aren't).
 
santa sangria said:
In my sixth season as a ref and cannot remember the ball hitting a corner flag once.
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Ball hit the corner flag in yesterday's game. I was AR2. And, to be honest, we (the three of us) were very good. I am over the moon. A bunch of tight offsides. No "mistakes". Super smooth throughout. And the ball hit the corner flag -at last!
 
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