Assist (football)
Encyclopedia
In association football, an assist is a contribution by a player which helps to score a goal
. Statistics for assists made by players may be kept officially by the organisers of a competition, or unofficially by, for example, journalists or organisers of fantasy football competitions. Recording assists is not part of the official Laws of the Game and the criteria for an assist to be awarded may vary.
Most commonly, an assist is credited to a player for passing
or crossing
the ball to the scorer. It may also be awarded to a player whose shot rebounds (off a defender, goalkeeper or goalpost) to a teammate who scores; or to a player who wins a penalty kick
for another player to convert. An attacking player may be awarded an assist for contributing to an own goal
. Players cannot be awarded an assist for a goal they themselves score. Usually one but a maximum of two players can be awarded assists is per goal.
kept assist statistics from its foundation in 1968, as its forebears the United Soccer Association
and National Professional Soccer League
had done the previous year. Analogous statistics were already being kept in basketball
and in ice hockey
, both established North American sports.
In the FIFA
Technical Study Group's report on the 1986 World Cup
, the authors calculated for the first time unofficial statistics for assists, developing the following criteria:
The 1990 World Cup
technical report adopted similar criteria, but changed the free-kick/penalty criterion:
Planet World Cup has calculated some retrospective data on assists back to the 1966 World Cup
, though the 1986 data differs from that of FIFA.
FIFA started officially keeping track of assists in World Cup tournaments
at the 1994 edition
. This was popularly ascribed to the popularity of detailed sports statistics among American fans. 1994 was also the first World Cup in which assists were used as a tie-breaker in determining the Golden Shoe award for top scorer. In the event, both Hristo Stoichkov
and Oleg Salenko finished with 19 points, from 6 goals and 1 assist. FIFA's Technical Study Group is responsible for awarding assist points.
It is official practice for certain leagues to keep record of assists. The United States' Major League Soccer
, for instance, formerly awarded the MLS Golden Boot
based on 2 points per goal scored and one per assist. The all-time leader in assists in Major League Soccer is midfielder
Steve Ralston
, with 135 assists as of August 2011. The French league, Ligue 1
, awards the Trophée de Meilleur Passeur ("best passer trophy") to the leader in assists following every season, the 2007–08 recipient being Jérôme Leroy
.
The NCAA
makes regulations for statistics, including assists, in college soccer
in the U.S. Two players may be credited with assists if the second did not have to beat a defender before passing to the scorer. No assist is awarded for winning a penalty. If a goal is scored after a save, block, or rebound from the goal frame, the first shooter gets an assist.
In Britain, all game statistics, including assists, for the Premier League, the Scottish Premier League
and the Football League
are provided by PA Sport under the Actim brand. Since the 2006–07 season, assists have been factored into the Actim Index
of Premier League player performance.
Goal (sport)
Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....
. Statistics for assists made by players may be kept officially by the organisers of a competition, or unofficially by, for example, journalists or organisers of fantasy football competitions. Recording assists is not part of the official Laws of the Game and the criteria for an assist to be awarded may vary.
Most commonly, an assist is credited to a player for passing
Passing (association football)
Passing the ball is a key part of association football. The purpose of passing is to keep possession of the ball by maneuvering it on the ground between different players and to advance it up the playing field....
or crossing
Cross (football)
In football, a cross is a delivery of a ball from either side of the field across to the front of the goal by applying various kicking techniques. A cross is there to provide a goal-scoring opportunity...
the ball to the scorer. It may also be awarded to a player whose shot rebounds (off a defender, goalkeeper or goalpost) to a teammate who scores; or to a player who wins a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
for another player to convert. An attacking player may be awarded an assist for contributing to an own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
. Players cannot be awarded an assist for a goal they themselves score. Usually one but a maximum of two players can be awarded assists is per goal.
Statistical recording of assists
Record of assists was virtually not kept at all until the end of the 20th century. The North American Soccer LeagueNorth American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
kept assist statistics from its foundation in 1968, as its forebears the United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
and National Professional Soccer League
National Professional Soccer League (1967)
The National Professional Soccer League was a North American professional soccer league that existed for only the 1967 season before merging with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. It had ten charter members, nine from the United States and one from Canada...
had done the previous year. Analogous statistics were already being kept in basketball
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
and in ice hockey
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...
, both established North American sports.
In the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Technical Study Group's report on the 1986 World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
, the authors calculated for the first time unofficial statistics for assists, developing the following criteria:
- An assist was awarded to the player who had given the last pass to the goalscorer.
- In addition, also the last but two holder of the ball could get an assist provided that his action had decisive importance for the goal .
- After goals from rebounds those players were awarded an assist who had shot on target.
- After goals scored on penalty or by a directly converted free-kickDirect free kickA direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
the fouled player received a point. - In case that the goalscorer had laid on the goal for himself (dribbleDribblingIn sports, dribbling refers to the maneuvering of a ball around a defender through short skillful taps or kicks with either the legs , hands , stick or swimming strokes...
, solo run), no assists were awarded. - No assists were awarded, either, if the goalscorer took advantage of a missed pass by an opponent.
The 1990 World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
technical report adopted similar criteria, but changed the free-kick/penalty criterion:
- Where goals resulting from penalties are concerned, the player who is fouled in the area receives an assist point (unless, that is, the player who is fouled subsequently executes the penalty himself).
Planet World Cup has calculated some retrospective data on assists back to the 1966 World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
, though the 1986 data differs from that of FIFA.
FIFA started officially keeping track of assists in World Cup tournaments
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
at the 1994 edition
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
. This was popularly ascribed to the popularity of detailed sports statistics among American fans. 1994 was also the first World Cup in which assists were used as a tie-breaker in determining the Golden Shoe award for top scorer. In the event, both Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov , sometimes Stoitchkov; born 8 February 1966 in Plovdiv) is a retired Bulgarian footballer. He is regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation and the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time. Nicknamed The Dagger , The Dog , The Modern Left...
and Oleg Salenko finished with 19 points, from 6 goals and 1 assist. FIFA's Technical Study Group is responsible for awarding assist points.
It is official practice for certain leagues to keep record of assists. The United States' Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, for instance, formerly awarded the MLS Golden Boot
MLS Golden Boot
The MLS Golden Boot has been awarded since the 2005 season to Major League Soccer's regular season leading scorer...
based on 2 points per goal scored and one per assist. The all-time leader in assists in Major League Soccer is midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
Steve Ralston
Steve Ralston
Steve Ralston is a retired American soccer player and a current assistant coach for the Houston Dynamo.-Professional:...
, with 135 assists as of August 2011. The French league, Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
, awards the Trophée de Meilleur Passeur ("best passer trophy") to the leader in assists following every season, the 2007–08 recipient being Jérôme Leroy
Jérôme Leroy (footballer)
Jérôme Leroy is a French footballer currently playing for Évian Thonon Gaillard F.C. as an attacking midfielder....
.
The NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
makes regulations for statistics, including assists, in college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
in the U.S. Two players may be credited with assists if the second did not have to beat a defender before passing to the scorer. No assist is awarded for winning a penalty. If a goal is scored after a save, block, or rebound from the goal frame, the first shooter gets an assist.
In Britain, all game statistics, including assists, for the Premier League, the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
and the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
are provided by PA Sport under the Actim brand. Since the 2006–07 season, assists have been factored into the Actim Index
Actim Index
The Actim Index is the official player ratings system of the Barclays Premiership, Coca-Cola Championship, and Scottish Premier League. It is compiled and distributed by PA Sport, a subsidiary of the Press Association...
of Premier League player performance.