Foot Block Rule Question

[Loughshore2022]

When I played football as a boy and teen I never even knew of a foot block rule or the square ball rule. They just expected you to know the rules, they never actually sat down and told you as a child what the rules of Gaelic football were. The highlight of my career was scoring a goal in Celtic Park in U-14 but it was ruled square ball.

Foot block seems an odd rule given that the game is called foot ball. That would be like not allowing to block with your hands in that European hand ball sport.

[thewobbler]

When I played football as a boy and teen I never even knew of a foot block rule or the square ball rule. They just expected you to know the rules, they never actually sat down and told you as a child what the rules of Gaelic football were. The highlight of my career was scoring a goal in Celtic Park in U-14 but it was ruled square ball.

Foot block seems an odd rule given that the game is called foot ball. That would be like not allowing to block with your hands in that European hand ball sport.

I reckon you would need just one feet-first sliding tackle as you go to kick a ball, to revise any of your concerns about the need for a rule.

[Dreadnought]

When I played football as a boy and teen I never even knew of a foot block rule or the square ball rule. They just expected you to know the rules, they never actually sat down and told you as a child what the rules of Gaelic football were. The highlight of my career was scoring a goal in Celtic Park in U-14 but it was ruled square ball.

Foot block seems an odd rule given that the game is called foot ball. That would be like not allowing to block with your hands in that European hand ball sport.

It's the risk of danger to the kicker. It's very easy to break a kickers leg by blocking the ball or planting your foot behind a ball. The kicker can shatter the bones in their foot by kicking with power, basically like kicking a concrete block.

[Main Street]

When I played football as a boy and teen I never even knew of a foot block rule or the square ball rule. They just expected you to know the rules, they never actually sat down and told you as a child what the rules of Gaelic football were. The highlight of my career was scoring a goal in Celtic Park in U-14 but it was ruled square ball.

Foot block seems an odd rule given that the game is called foot ball. That would be like not allowing to block with your hands in that European hand ball sport.

It's the risk of danger to the kicker. It's very easy to break a kickers leg by blocking the ball or planting your foot behind a ball. The kicker can shatter the bones in their foot by kicking with power, basically like kicking a concrete block.

The footblock happens  without incident in soccer. That Monaghan footblock was harmless.

[APM]

I'd beg to differ having been at the wrong end of a particularly bad foot-block.  It's a good rule, but needs tightened up,

[bigarsedkeeper]

I'd beg to differ having been at the wrong end of a particularly bad foot-block.  It's a good rule, but needs tightened up,

Same as myself, and I was in goals. Thought the full forward had broke my foot and ankle at the time. I've seen what looked like innocent enough block attempts with the foot out, as in sideways not studs up, causing serious injuries too.

Sometimes refs call a foot block for the keeper spreading himself 4 or 5 yards away from the forward. You have to be able to spread your body to make a save

[Dreadnought]

When I played football as a boy and teen I never even knew of a foot block rule or the square ball rule. They just expected you to know the rules, they never actually sat down and told you as a child what the rules of Gaelic football were. The highlight of my career was scoring a goal in Celtic Park in U-14 but it was ruled square ball.

Foot block seems an odd rule given that the game is called foot ball. That would be like not allowing to block with your hands in that European hand ball sport.

It's the risk of danger to the kicker. It's very easy to break a kickers leg by blocking the ball or planting your foot behind a ball. The kicker can shatter the bones in their foot by kicking with power, basically like kicking a concrete block.

The footblock happens  without incident in soccer. That Monaghan footblock was harmless.

No it doesn't, we see horrendous injuries in soccer because of it

[Main Street]

When I played football as a boy and teen I never even knew of a foot block rule or the square ball rule. They just expected you to know the rules, they never actually sat down and told you as a child what the rules of Gaelic football were. The highlight of my career was scoring a goal in Celtic Park in U-14 but it was ruled square ball.

Foot block seems an odd rule given that the game is called foot ball. That would be like not allowing to block with your hands in that European hand ball sport.

It's the risk of danger to the kicker. It's very easy to break a kickers leg by blocking the ball or planting your foot behind a ball. The kicker can shatter the bones in their foot by kicking with power, basically like kicking a concrete block.

The footblock happens  without incident in soccer. That Monaghan footblock was harmless.

No it doesn't, we see horrendous injuries in soccer because of it

Can you point to some examples?

Neither of the two foot blocks in the Mayo Monaghan game were remotely dangerous, in fact they were examples of very good last ditch defending which prevented two goal bound shots from hitting the back of the net.
How many times do you see a goalkeeper foot block?  Cluxton?
I think it should be up to ref to determine what is a dangerous block, as with a studs up tackle in soccer.

[Eire90]

i think the goalkeeper should be allowed to save with his feet if hes inside his rectangle  maybe outfielders too if a shot is made from outside the rectangle maybe this is allowed i stand corrected if wrong.

[Dreadnought]

When I played football as a boy and teen I never even knew of a foot block rule or the square ball rule. They just expected you to know the rules, they never actually sat down and told you as a child what the rules of Gaelic football were. The highlight of my career was scoring a goal in Celtic Park in U-14 but it was ruled square ball.

Foot block seems an odd rule given that the game is called foot ball. That would be like not allowing to block with your hands in that European hand ball sport.

It's the risk of danger to the kicker. It's very easy to break a kickers leg by blocking the ball or planting your foot behind a ball. The kicker can shatter the bones in their foot by kicking with power, basically like kicking a concrete block.

The footblock happens  without incident in soccer. That Monaghan footblock was harmless.

No it doesn't, we see horrendous injuries in soccer because of it

Can you point to some examples?

Neither of the two foot blocks in the Mayo Monaghan game were remotely dangerous, in fact they were examples of very good last ditch defending which prevented two goal bound shots from hitting the back of the net.
How many times do you see a goalkeeper foot block?  Cluxton?
I think it should be up to ref to determine what is a dangerous block, as with a studs up tackle in soccer.

Alan Smith had a bad injury from an attempted block. Heard of others before but he's the one off the top of my head. 

The 1st one could have been. You don't need to actually see an injury to say it's dangerous. It's been in the rules here for a while due to bad injuries in the past. My old man had a story years ago of a defender placing his foot behind the ball as the forward was kicking it, and the forward shattered his leg on kicking it, as he was essentially kicking a solid object. This wasn't uncommon in the past, and it's why it was brought in.

Heard a ref during the week clearing it up from his point of view. He calls it a foot block if the block is attempted within the arc of the kickers swing, where you can risk injury to the kicker. So essentially he called it that the 1st incident last weekend was a foot block, the 2nd one wasn't due to the distance away. Think there's no issue with keepers saving it in this case with their feet if it's at distance.

[thewobbler]

Main Street:

There is no way the foot block rule was part of the original rules of Gaelic Games.

Do you think It was subsequently added because a) someone thought that they should clarify all potential fouls in writing, or b) as a response to players diving feet first towards the ball and causing injury?

Take it out of the rule book and the ref decide? No. It would only be back, but with more detail, within a year.

[Armagh Cúchulainns]

As a dual referee - the problem on Saturday was lack of knowledge by everyone except the referee.

The sky commentary team knew nothing of the rule citing distances - utter rubbish - if you don't know say nothing as it added to confusion and subsequent comments on social media.
As alluded to in an earlier post - who teaches players the rules and are coaches/players in tune with the rules and rule changes.

I'm sick hearing about square balls and players foot placement on line ball kicks and how I'm in the wrong for calling/not calling them.


The biggest issue for me is the lack of information coming from the GAA - and that goes for a lot of rules and rule changes.
Take the wording of the footblock - in rule the referee was 100% correct in both calls but changing the wording of the rule recently and not subsequently making that information public isn't right.

From a hurling perspective the lack of clarity in rules is very frustrating at present around head high challenges (and its creeping into football too) - we all get told at seminars about dangerous tackling/contact above the shoulder and how it should be a red but;

In the 2019 All Ireland semi final - Richie Hogan gets taken out by a cork player - head high contact - no red card
In the 2019 All Ireland final - Richie Hogan hits Cathal Barrett - head high contact - red card
Last Saturdays Leinster final - 2 incidents where players are both hit to the head - no red card for either

and the above games were all refereed by the same person.

Id they don't deal with rules and give public the info it just enables chaos on matchdays

[rosnarun]

the most important thing to remember about Stephan Coen tackle is thatit was not acually a foot block . Hw spread him as big as possible in front of the kicker and the ball actualy hit his shin
End of controversy

The other penalty claim should possibly have been given but as Coady said to marty did you go through every decision to see if it was correct.

Rarely do i leave a game without thinking of a few refs blunder even Saturday Carney was fouled in the Square and landed outside it and ref gave a free Kick.