What is an assist?

[dv8r]

I don't think that any pass to a goal scorer could be given as an assist, it does all depend on how much the goal scorer has to do with the ball between receiving it and putting it in the net. If the goal scorer receives the ball and then runs with it, it's a solo goal not an assisted goal, but if pass is made and the scorer, say, volleys or heads in, that pass then must be an assisted goal.

A counter attack suggests the ball is won and passed forward from the teams own half and I can't see how every pass or long ball forward can be classed as an assist, if the goal scorer has more to do with the ball before he scores.

If I play a long ball to another team mate who runs with it and scores, that is still an assist because the player did not create the goal himself. I've played fantasy football games, I've watched goals like this scored in real life Champions League and the assist is given to the player who provides the pass for the goal. The basic definition is "an assist is a contribution by a player which helps to score a goal." . Based on the commentary, the player passing the ball is helping to score the goal, so therefore it's an assist.

[TypTex]

If I play a long ball to another team mate who runs with it and scores, that is still an assist because the player did not create the goal himself. I've played fantasy football games, I've watched goals like this scored in real life Champions League and the assist is given to the player who provides the pass for the goal. The basic definition is "an assist is a contribution by a player which helps to score a goal." . Based on the commentary, the player passing the ball is helping to score the goal, so therefore it's an assist.

The definition of what is and what isn't an assist is a very grey area, simply because they don't exist in the official rules of the game.
Different competitions have different ideas of what an assist is and from what i've just been reading there isn't any right or wrong.
The wiki page for an assist says "an assist is a contribution by a player which helps to score a goal." so if this is true your arguement, dv8r, is correct.( I just feel an assist needs to be more directly relating to the ball going into the net).

The wiki page also says a maximum of two players can be awarded an assist, now that has got me, can't think of any example where this could happen.

Good interesting thread, with as far as I can see no right or wrong answer.