Exprimental Football Rules

[Keane]

The thing about the pick up being a skill is often mentioned, but I'm not really sure I go along with it anymore. Sure it's an extra technique, but is it really that skillful a technique that it improves the game?

I'm not convinced. You see a lot of incidences of players having to awkwardly and unnaturally attempt to put their toe under quickly rolling or slightly bouncing balls to avoid running afoul of the pickup rule. It can be quite cumbersome while at the same time, I'm not convinced it really adds anything.

[johnneycool]

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2012/1210/357680-football-review-proposals-published/

Big changes, mark introduced, change in the tackle, advantage rule modified, all matches 70 minutes (but odd).

I think the 70 minute club game should be senior level only. It's a bit much for junior B.

[Syferus]

Seems pointless increasing the length of club matches. I can only imagine the sludge most junior b players will be trying to work through in those extra ten minutes for absolutely no benefit.

It's not like those players are being trained up to play county, now is it?

Ten minutes less has always meant club teams can operate at a higher level overall because from inter-county games it's clear fatigue becomes an over-riding factor in the final ten and those are far more heavily drilled players. I'd expect far more ropey play late in games with 70 minute matches as well as exposing older players even more and that's I don't like that prospect in the least, one of the greatest joys of club football is seeing the old hands still pulling the strings in their 30's. They'll become much more of a liability in the extra ten minutes.

The shorter format gives the club games their own unique flavour and are much appreciated in the autumn, winter and spring by both player club games. It'd also have the unintended side-effect of increasing the already absurd workload of 17-22 year old players as 70 minute club matches will expose older and supporter alike as it saves you having to get treated for hypothermia after a game.

Really the list feels like any other year, a series of proposals thrown at the wall hoping some will stick. The hype about the FRC seems patently unwarranted.

[neilthemac]

I agree with most of it except...

a - club games don't need to be any longer. 60 mins is fine. for amateur players it will place extra burden on fitness and injuries. I cannot see that getting passed
b - pick off the ground. what was wrong with the current rule? it stopped players touching or hitting the ball on the ground with hands (dangerous when a boot could fly in - at least you are protected when you go to put your toe under the ball). then again, I'm speaking as a defender here. I'm sure the forwards would love that extra split second - will they be allowed pick it up with just one hand?
c - there should have been a sin bin introduced. two yellows equals a sin bin. straight red or yellow + red = sending off.
d - the clock should be stopped until the ball is kicked back into play. (kick outs, frees, sidelines)

[Walter Cronc]

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2012/1210/357680-football-review-proposals-published/

Big changes, mark introduced, change in the tackle, advantage rule modified, all matches 70 minutes (but odd).

I think the pick up is definitely an improvement. I think it was near impossible to do it previously when the ball was coming directly at you! Still unsure on this yellow card ruling. Anyone can mis-time a tackle. I think a sin bin ruling is much better than ending someone's participation in a game!

From a quick look I would welcome most of them.. But have to disagree with you Walter Cronc, I hate the idea of the pick up being down away with. It is a skill of the game FFS......

Though 70 minutes matches won't be welcomed by many an ageing club team who struggle to keep going for 50 let alone 70! speaking from experience here..

I know what you mean haze but my only gripe with it is the referees interpretation. Take for example a long ball played into a corner forward. Its really 50/50 as to whether you get away with it rolling or not. Bending down to try and get your foot under it slows the game down. Glad to see the mark introduced for kickouts. Nothing I hate seeing more than the skill of catching ruined by players swarming around him when he hits the deck!

[Rossfan]

Very disappointing to see two skill less proposals - the shovelling of the ball over the bar with the open hand and the straight pick up.
No effort or recommendation about the cause of most of the problems - the ************* handpass/throw.
Does the player who makes a clean catch have the option of playing on or are they forced to take a mark?
Who wanted or why is the 70 minute club game thing brought in?
Clear tackle definition badly needed.
How will a ref differentiate between accidental and deliberate fouls?
Yellow and sub a good idea - how would you control a sin bin in down the grades games where the ref is the only neutral official -if you're lucky to have a ref.

[screenexile]

Is it just me or was a tackle on the ball not currently the rule?

I thought it was referee's ineptitude that let players away with just thumping around that general area in the hope of knocking the ball away. A new rule will not work unless a huge education inititative for referees is undertaken.

The yellow card thing is ridiculous and akin to that nonsense rule they had a few years ago. Again it's too open to refereeing ineptitude and lads will be on the sideline having made a genuine attempt at the ball which the referee has deemed a yellow card offence.

That idea about the 6 minute sin bin as a good one I think. Sin bin has to be the way to go!

[Syferus]

I will give them credit, the clock is an obvious and long over-due change and the straight pick-up proposal has alot of merit because there's so much messing that happens as a player tries to tippy-tap a ball on the ground with a player (and invariably tow by the time he succeeds in doing it) on him. It slows the game down and makes it look a messy spectacle so I'd be all for trialling it to see if it makes an improvement.

[alba2]

Agree with the clock coming into effect - but i feel that when keepers are moving forward to hit free kicks or 45s the clock should stop.  This is clearly used as a waste time mechanism by managers and would rule it out altogether.  The pickup is a very frustrating - either have it that all balls can be cleanly picked up or you must put your toe under every ball.  Some referees allow the ball travelling along the ground to be picked up and some do not.  Frustrating... Clear definition of fist passing and tackling - should two ar three men be allowed around the man on the ball to tackle him or could that be defined??

[Walter Cronc]

Is it just me or was a tackle on the ball not currently the rule?

I thought it was referee's ineptitude that let players away with just thumping around that general area in the hope of knocking the ball away. A new rule will not work unless a huge education inititative for referees is undertaken.

The yellow card thing is ridiculous and akin to that nonsense rule they had a few years ago. Again it's too open to refereeing ineptitude and lads will be on the sideline having made a genuine attempt at the ball which the referee has deemed a yellow card offence.

That idea about the 6 minute sin bin as a good one I think. Sin bin has to be the way to go!

Why has the sin bin never been thought of before? It is one of these backward GAA things whereby we do our own thing and let them Rugby men do another??

[Donnellys Hollow]

Has this 'yellow carded player has to be substituted' craic not been trialled twice before and failed miserably both times?

Some welcome proposals like the clock, advantage rule and giving the referee the power to advance the ball 30 metres (I would have made it 50m for players stopping quick frees).

Was there ever anything done to the daft rule allowing teams that have received red card(s) to return to the full compliment of 15 players for extra-time but yellow cards are still carried over?

[screenexile]

Is it just me or was a tackle on the ball not currently the rule?

I thought it was referee's ineptitude that let players away with just thumping around that general area in the hope of knocking the ball away. A new rule will not work unless a huge education inititative for referees is undertaken.

The yellow card thing is ridiculous and akin to that nonsense rule they had a few years ago. Again it's too open to refereeing ineptitude and lads will be on the sideline having made a genuine attempt at the ball which the referee has deemed a yellow card offence.

That idea about the 6 minute sin bin as a good one I think. Sin bin has to be the way to go!

Why has the sin bin never been thought of before? It is one of these backward GAA things whereby we do our own thing and let them Rugby men do another??

It has been. It was trialled a few years ago to complete uproar. Games played with 13 v 11 and the like. It was never given a proper chance and the fact our referees are useless didn't help the thing.

[Throw ball]

Has this 'yellow carded player has to be substituted' craic not been trialled twice before and failed miserably both times?

Some welcome proposals like the clock, advantage rule and giving the referee the power to advance the ball 30 metres (I would have made it 50m for players stopping quick frees).

Was there ever anything done to the daft rule allowing teams that have received red card(s) to return to the full compliment of 15 players for extra-time but yellow cards are still carried over?

Agree completely

[Walter Cronc]

Is it just me or was a tackle on the ball not currently the rule?

I thought it was referee's ineptitude that let players away with just thumping around that general area in the hope of knocking the ball away. A new rule will not work unless a huge education inititative for referees is undertaken.

The yellow card thing is ridiculous and akin to that nonsense rule they had a few years ago. Again it's too open to refereeing ineptitude and lads will be on the sideline having made a genuine attempt at the ball which the referee has deemed a yellow card offence.

That idea about the 6 minute sin bin as a good one I think. Sin bin has to be the way to go!

Why has the sin bin never been thought of before? It is one of these backward GAA things whereby we do our own thing and let them Rugby men do another??

It has been. It was trialled a few years ago to complete uproar. Games played with 13 v 11 and the like. It was never given a proper chance and the fact our referees are useless didn't help the thing.

Oh I know the sin bin was trialled a few years in terms of yellow cards resulting in players having to leave the field. I just wonder why the 10 minute bin was never given a chance. It seems the obvious solution to a cynical foul or 2 fouls committed.

[Hardy]

Christ Almighty, I despair! I just knew what was coming when I heard a committee was being set up to tamper with the game. We all know what happens when committees design things. Then I heard that Eugene McGee was to be in charge. All of that was bad enough, but now we hear that the new rules are based on "extensive research and consultation with members of the public, managers, players, referees and administrators". Members of the public? What?!?

We get a load of waffle about a media buzzword like "cynicism" and a return to the yellow-card/sin bin nonsense that has failed twice already but nothing at all done about the four biggest issues in the game, the ones that are really threatening to ruin it - diving, injury feigning, excessive hand passing and inconsistency of interpretation of the rules.

And then we get the solemn announcement of a "new definition of tackle to say tackle must be aimed at the ball, not the player." Did these people even read the rules they set out to review? It hardly seems likely, because that's exactly what the definition of the tackle says already! So we have the rules review committee proposing to revise an existing definition to make it say what it says already. If this was a Ballymagash script it would be funny.