Nothing in the rules of soccer prohibits the goalie from leaving the penalty area. However, once outside that area, the goalie loses the biggest advantage he has over other players. Think of a goalie as a superhero -- Goal Keeper! -- whose powers work only inside the penalty area. Sounds silly, sure, but it's how I got my 4-year-old son to understand the rules.
Field Layout
A soccer field has two penalty areas, one at each end of the field. The area starts at the goal line -- the end line of the field. It extends 22 yards on either side of the center of the goal and 18 yards into the field of play. Within the penalty area is a smaller zone, the goal area. This area also starts on the goal line, but it extends only 10 yards on either side of the center of the goal and 6 yards into the field.
Leaving the Penalty Area
The goalie is not required to remain in either the goal area or the penalty area during the normal course of play. Goalkeepers are free to go anywhere on the field. However, outside the penalty area, the goalkeeper becomes subject to the same rules as all the other players.
Handling the Ball
The goalies are the only players on the field allowed to "handle" a live ball -- that is, touch it with their hands. But they can only do so inside the penalty area, and even then they can't hold onto the ball for more than six seconds. If a goalkeeper wants to advance the ball up the field, rather than pass it directly to a teammate, he must drop the ball inside the penalty area and dribble it out with his feet.
Playing Smart
Of course, just because a goalie can leave the penalty area, that doesn't mean it's necessarily wise. The farther a goalie strays from the penalty area, the more likely it becomes that the goalie won't be able to get back to defend a shot launched from a distance. A soccer goal is big -- 8 feet high by 24 feet wide -- so it's not terribly difficult for an experienced player to hit from midfield or farther, especially when the goalie isn't even positioned between the shooter and the goal. The goal that arguably launched David Beckham to soccer superstardom came in a 1996 match when Beckham, then just 21, saw that the opposing goalie had wandered too far from the goal. Beckham shot from the midfield line and scored.
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