OFFSIDE RULE SHOWN ON NEW COIN

Offside rule shown on new coin

It's a priceless nugget of information for every footie fan and now the offside rule is explained — on the back of a 50 pence piece.

Salt and pepper pots in kitchens and cafes up and down the country can be pushed to one side as this clever coin gives a pocket-sized alternative to complex diagrams with household condiments.

The football coin is one of 29 new 50p piece designs produced by the Royal Mint to mark the London 2012 Olympics.

There is one for each sport of the Games and almost 30,000 designs were submitted to the coin makers following the launch of a public competition in January 2009.

Journalist Neil Wolfson came up with the offside coin and said: "I am a football fan. I've followed the Premier League since its inception and if I had 50p for every time someone asked me what the offside rule was then I would be a very rich man.

"When the coin is in circulation I hope people like it and I hope people are able to use it to explain the offside rule."

On the Royal Mint website it said: "Neil Wolfson designed his coin in the hope that it would encapsulate football in a simple image.

"As the offside rule is a perennial talking point, the image is designed to provoke discussion, which was what he was aiming for."

The coin is now in circulation but can be purchased separately in a limited edition presentation package for £2.99.

Olympic fans can also pick up coins for any of their favourite sports, including swimming, boxing, gymnastics and wheelchair rugby.

A panel of independent experts and representatives from Royal Mint, London 2012 and the International Olympic Committee picked their favourite designs.

The winners include a policeman from Manchester, a delivery driver from Reading, a radiologist from Stoke, a bank clerk from Preston, a part time chef from Cornwall and a 75-year-old retired social worker from Derby.

Since its introduction 41 years ago only 16 designs have featured on the nation's 50p and it is the first time in the Royal Mint's 1,100-year history that members of the public have designed a series of coins for nationwide circulation.

Dave Knight, the Royal Mint's Director of Commemorative Coin, said: "Every one of our 29 winners is making history.

"Their coins will become treasured mementos of the biggest sporting event to happen on UK shores in a generation, and will be around for generations to come."