Attacker Defender Goalkeeper®
An Alternative to Extra Time and Penalties
The ADG Contest: The attacker starts from the ADG mark, which is 32 yards from the goal line and has 15 seconds to score a goal.
A Smarter Decider
Attacker Defender Goalkeeper (ADG) is an alternative to extra time and penalties. ADG resolves drawn matches through a series of ten contests, where an attacker kicks off from 32 yards and has 15 seconds to score against a defender and goalkeeper.
ADG combines the skill, speed, athleticism and dynamic beauty of modern football with the climactic drama and tension of penalties. It removes the stagnation, fatigue and injury risks of extra time while addressing the widely recognised flaws of the shootout.
Why ADG is Needed
Football’s procedures for deciding drawn matches were developed in a different era. Extra time was introduced in 1897, while penalty shootouts were adopted in 1970. The game has changed dramatically since then, yet these procedures have remained unchanged.
Extra time extends players into the most fatigue-affected phase of competition, increasing physical strain while producing relatively few goals and rarely deciding matches.
Penalty shootouts create a different problem. They expose players to extreme psychological pressure, individual blame, racism and vile personal abuse, while reducing the outcome to a static contest that fails to showcase the skill and athleticism of modern football.
Modern football deserves a tiebreaker procedure that reflects the qualities that make it the most popular sport on earth.
How ADG Works
The referee tosses a coin and the team that wins the toss, decides whether to attack or defend in the first contest. The teams receive an additional substitution and corresponding substitution opportunity. The referee meets with the teams and records their five attackers.
Having seen the first attacker, the opposition field their defender. The defender and goalkeeper must be at least 10 yards from the ball until it is in play. Half the field is in play. The attacker kicks off from the ADG mark, which is 32 yards from the goal line.
The contest will end if any of the following occur:
- A goal is scored.
- The ball goes out of play.
- Goalkeeper controls the ball with hands inside the penalty area.
- 15 seconds elapse.
- The attacker commits a foul.
If the defender or goalkeeper commits a foul, the attacker is awarded a penalty kick, and the 15 second time limit is disregarded for the remainder of that contest.
Teams take turns attacking and defending. Teams play a total of ten ADG contests. At the completion of the contests, the team with the most goals is the winner. If scores remain level, the same players from the first contest compete in the first sudden-death contest.
ADG Operational Setup: The attacker starts from the ADG mark, which is 32 yards from goal. The defender and goalkeeper must remain at least 10 yards from the ball until it is in play. One assistant referee supervises and organises the players in the disused half of the field. The other assistant monitors the goal line similarly to how UEFA used their additional assistants.