GAA Football Review Committee chairperson Jim Gavin addresses the media during a briefing at the GAA Football Review Committee media event held at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
By John Harrington
Chairperson of the Football Review Committee, Jim Gavin, today gave a presentation in Croke Park to update GAA media on the proposed rule enhancements his committee are considering.
These have been drawn up after an extensive consultative process that has seen the committee meet 31 times, parse over 7,000 responses from a public survey, conduct a Delphi survey with GAA coaches, meet with stakeholders such as the standing committee on playing rules, the provincial councils, the national referees committee, and county board chairpersons, and trial proposed rule enhancements in five ‘sand box’ matches.
The final report is still not set in stone and there will likely be some tweaks before the FRC present it to Ard Comhairle and then showcase their proposals in the interprovincial matches on October 18/19, but some clear themes are emerging.
Currently under consideration are ‘seven core enhancements’ that Gavin spoke about at length today in Croke Park and which are as follows:
1v1 throw-in to start the game
At the start of both halves the referee would begin the game by throwing the ball in to just one player from each team. This would encourage the skill of high fielding and produce a contest for possession that would be exciting to watch for supporters.
40 metre scoring arc and new scoring system
The introduction of a new 40 metre scoring arc around both sets of goalposts would facilitate a new scoring system. Points scored from on or outside the 40 metre arc would be worth two points with points scored from within the 40 metre arc worth one point. A goal would be worth four points. Converted 45s would continue to be worth one point.
The referee would raise both arms to signal to their umpire that a two-pointer has been scored and a coloured flag that would signal a two-pointer is also under consideration.
These potential rule enhancements would encourage teams to attempt more long-range points and try to engineer more goal-scoring opportunities.
Kick-outs
Kick-outs would be taken from the 20 metre line and must go beyond the 40-metre arc. Players can be positioned behind the 20 metre line when the goalkeeper kicks the ball out. If an opposition player interferes with the goalkeeper or intercepts the ball within the 40 metre arc then the ball would be brought forward 50 metres.
Requiring goalkeepers to kick the ball beyond the 40 metre arc would lead to more contests for possession. Allowing players to remain behind the 20 metre line would speed up the kick-out.
'Solo and Go'
A player who is fouled has the option of continuing play by taking a ‘solo and go’ rather than pausing play to take a free. It doesn’t have to be the player who is fouled that takes the ‘solo and go’. For example, if a player was grounded by a foul they could hand the ball to their nearest team-mate who could then take the ‘solo and go’. Still being teased out by the committee is when the player who takes a ‘solo and go’ can be tackled by the opposition. Options include allowing the player who takes the ‘solo and go’ to take four steps before being tackled, or to carry the ball a defined number of metres before being tackled. In trial matches the ‘solo and go’ has significantly speeded up the game.
Advanced mark
You can claim an offensive mark if you field a ball inside the 20-metre line that has been kicked from outside the 45 metre line. But, rather than stop and claim the mark, players can instead continue to play and attempt to score from open play. The referee plays advantage and if none accrues then the ball is brought back for the mark. Rather than limit an advantage to five seconds, consideration is being given to allowing referees to give advantage for as long as there’s positive momentum.
This potential rule enhancement combined with a four-point goal should incentivise teams to kick long into forwards and would reward the skills of kick-passing and high fielding. It would also potentially lead to more goal-scoring chances.
Limits on passing to the goalkeeper
A player may only pass the ball to their goalkeeper if both they and the goalkeeper are inside the large rectangle or if the goalkeeper has advanced beyond their own 65 yard line. The goalkeeper can still move up the field to challenge the opposition kick-out or attempt to intercept a pass from the opposition. This potential rule enhancement would cut down on back-passing to goalkeepers, incentivise teams to push up on opposition defenders, and create more contests for possession.
3/3 Up/Back
This rule enhancement under consideration would oblige both teams to always have a minimum of three players inside each 65 yard line. So, if you’re the defending team, you must keep three outfield players inside the opposition ’65 and defend with a maximum of 11 players outside it. If a defending player retreats beyond the ’65 to give his team a numerical advantage then they would concede a free on their own 13 metre line to the opposition. If a player carries the ball past their own ’65 and leaves less than three team-mates behind them then a free is given to the opposition at the point where they crossed the line.
By having to keep three up and three back, space should be created for the attacking team. If the defending team turns the ball over they’d have an opportunity to kick in the counter-attack to which should lead to more end to end action.
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The Football Review Committee are also working on a number of other proposals relating to foul play, dissent, and game officiating that would further buttress the ‘seven core enhancements’.
These include but are not limited to the following:
Penalising tactical fouls
Tactical fouls that slow down the game such as holding up an opposition player, throwing the ball away, or interfering with free-kicks, sideline balls, and kick-outs would be penalised by bringing the ball forward 50 metres. Players would also have the option of taking a ‘solo and go’.
Penalising dissent
If a player forcibly challenges a referee the opposition can bring the ball forward 50 metres.
Aggressive dissent from an identifiable team official or non-playing subs would result in a 13 metre free-kick being awarded against that team.
Square ball rule
The square ball rule for free-kicks would be aligned with the general play rule whereby a player can enter the opposition’s square as soon as the ball is kicked.
Head to head contact
Any head to head contact be it intentional or unintentional would be a red-card offence.
Contributing to a melee
Contributing to a melee would be a black-card offence unless your intention is to remove a team-mate from the melee.
Overtime showdown
This would be a means of determining the outcome of a game without penalties or potentially even extra-time. If game is drawn the ball is thrown in again and the game is continued until one team scores. The other team then gets one more opportunity to score. If they score and that ties the game then the ball is thrown up again and whoever scores next wins the game.
Stop clock
The match would be timed by a stop clock and the end of the game signalled by a hooter. The committee are still considering a couple of different options regarding the hooter. One option is that the game would be over as soon as the hooter sounds. Another option is that after the hooter sounds the game doesn’t end until the ball goes dead, thereby giving the team in possession one last chance to score if they so wish.
Vanishing foam
Referees would mark the spot from where a free-kick should be taken with vanishing foam to prevent free-takers from stealing yards.
Sideline official
Currently the sideline official can only bring an infraction they have spotted to the attention of the referee during a break in play. The FRC are considering a proposal that would allow the sideline official to do this at any stage in the game and thereby assist in a more meaningful way.
Substitutions
The number of substitutions a team can make would rise from five to six.
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Special Congress will convene on November 30 to facilitate the introduction of the trial of rule enhancements for 2025 competitions.
That trial would include a mid-season 2025 review before the formal end of the trial with the completion of the 2025 championships.
It is envisaged that a full review will take place at that juncture with a view to the adoption of new rules for football from January 1, 2026.
FRC MEMBERS
- COLM COLLINS - Cratloe GAA, County Clare
- PATRICK DOHERTY - The Downs GAA, County Westmeath
- ÉAMONN FITZMAURICE - Fingue GAA, County Kerry
- SHANE FLANAGAN - Johnstownbridge GAA, County Kildare
- JIM GAVIN - Round Towers GAA, Clondalkin, County Dublin
- JAMES HORAN - Ballintubber GAA, County Mayo
- ALEC MCQUILLAN - Con Magees Glenravel GAC, County Antrim
- MICHAEL MEANEY - Old Leighlin GAA, County Carlow
- MICHAEL MURPHY - Glenswilly GAA, County Donegal
- COLM NALLY - Newtown Blues GAA, County Louth
- MALACHY O'ROURKE - Derrylin O'Connell’s GAA, Co Fermanagh
- **SÉAMUS KENNY (Runaí) –**Simonstown Gaels GFC, County Meath