What is required for a football throw-in to be legal?

Question

Is it correct for a football throw-in to be legal that:

1. The thrower needs to be outside the playing field
2. Both feet must be in contact with the ground
3. The ball must be thrown from over head with both hands?

Answer 1

IFAB Laws Of The Game answer this quite clearly. Law 15, part 1 Procedure describes what must happen.

At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower must:

• stand facing the field of play

• have part of each foot on the touchline or on the ground outside the touchline

• throw the ball with both hands from behind and over the head from the point where it left the field of play

Using this to cover the three specific conditions listed,

1. No. The thrower may have one or both feet on the touchline, which is part of the field of play (see Law 1, part 2 Field Markings). But they cannot be on the field of play inside the touchline.

2. Yes. Both feet must be on the ground, whether on the touchline or outside it, when the ball is "deliver[ed]". However they do not need to be on the ground during the lead-up or preparation for the throw, allowing for some spectacular techniques to develop.

3. Yes. This is explicitly required in law, and further, must be thrown from behind and over the head. Simply holding the ball above the head, then releasing it forward, is not taking the throw correctly.