Enhanced Rules

[Rossfan]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2026/1015/1595582-santry-showcase-puts-two-new-rule-tweaks-in-spotlight/

[shawshank]

From RTE

Gaelic football's Expert Advisory Group (EAG) chairman Kevin McStay is hopeful that "five or six" new rules will be officially adopted in time for the 2027 Allianz Football League - but he said that the changes will have to meet "a high threshold" to form part of the official guidelines.


Proposed adjustments:

• An extension of the 40-metre arc to the end-line
• Two-points for all scores outside the 40-metre arc, apart from 45s
• Four points for a goal
• No scores by hand - fist or open - other than in-flight scores
• A limit on consecutive hand-passes to three, with a foot motion - apart from a solo - required on the fourth pass
• A backcourt rule where a team cannot play the ball back across the halfway line into their own half
• Substitutes to be increased from five to six (to be excluded from Ryan Cup trial)
• Denial of a goalscoring opportunity inside the 20m line, but not within 25m of each sideline or within the semi-circular arc, will bring a black card or red card
• If a player takes a kick-out mark (claims/does not claim) and is subsequently illegally challenged within his four-metre space, the sanction is a 50m penalty. In both cases the player may choose to take the free-kick from outside the 40m arc
• 13m frees awarded for dissent/abuse from a member of a backroom team, kick-out infractions or a breach sanction. For both the dissent/abuse and breach infractions the player may choose to take the free-kick from outside the 40m arc
• All kick-outs must cross the 13m arc rather than the 40m arc
• Sideline free-kicks will be taken from on or behind the sideline rather than behind it

Does that mean short kickouts are back in again, I thought they wanted to promote high catching contests?

IMO the high catching on kickouts was a apositive feature.

[Blowitupref]

From RTE

Gaelic football's Expert Advisory Group (EAG) chairman Kevin McStay is hopeful that "five or six" new rules will be officially adopted in time for the 2027 Allianz Football League - but he said that the changes will have to meet "a high threshold" to form part of the official guidelines.


Proposed adjustments:

• An extension of the 40-metre arc to the end-line
• Two-points for all scores outside the 40-metre arc, apart from 45s
• Four points for a goal
• No scores by hand - fist or open - other than in-flight scores
• A limit on consecutive hand-passes to three, with a foot motion - apart from a solo - required on the fourth pass
• A backcourt rule where a team cannot play the ball back across the halfway line into their own half
• Substitutes to be increased from five to six (to be excluded from Ryan Cup trial)
• Denial of a goalscoring opportunity inside the 20m line, but not within 25m of each sideline or within the semi-circular arc, will bring a black card or red card
• If a player takes a kick-out mark (claims/does not claim) and is subsequently illegally challenged within his four-metre space, the sanction is a 50m penalty. In both cases the player may choose to take the free-kick from outside the 40m arc
• 13m frees awarded for dissent/abuse from a member of a backroom team, kick-out infractions or a breach sanction. For both the dissent/abuse and breach infractions the player may choose to take the free-kick from outside the 40m arc
• All kick-outs must cross the 13m arc rather than the 40m arc
• Sideline free-kicks will be taken from on or behind the sideline rather than behind it

Does that mean short kickouts are back in again, I thought they wanted to promote high catching contests?

IMO the high catching on kickouts was a apositive feature.

If voted in. McStay and co probably not a fan of the midfield 'piggery'

[Rossfan]

Proposed adjustments:

• An extension of the 40-metre arc to the end-line
GOOD IDEA.

• Two-points for all scores outside the 40-metre arc, apart from 45s
IS THAT NOT RULE ALREADY?

• Four points for a goal
NOT SURE

• No scores by hand - fist or open - other than in-flight scores
MY PET WISH
• A limit on consecutive hand-passes to three, with a foot motion - apart from a solo - required on the fourth pass
WORTH TRIAL.

• A backcourt rule where a team cannot play the ball back across the halfway line into their own half
NO.

• Substitutes to be increased from five to six (to be excluded from Ryan Cup trial)
NO BRAINIER WITH SO MUCH MORE ACTION ON TGE FIEKD.
• Denial of a goalscoring opportunity inside the 20m line, but not within 25m of each sideline or within the semi-circular arc, will bring a black card or red card
NEUTRAL

• If a player takes a kick-out mark (claims/does not claim) and is subsequently illegally challenged within his four-metre space, the sanction is a 50m penalty. In both cases the player may choose to take the free-kick from outside the 40m arc
OK

• 13m frees awarded for dissent/abuse from a member of a backroom team, kick-out infractions or a breach sanction. For both the dissent/abuse and breach infractions the player may choose to take the free-kick from outside the 40m arc
1 POINT FREE PUNISHMENT ENOUGH.

• All kick-outs must cross the 13m arc rather than the 40m arc
NOOOOOOO

• Sideline free-kicks will be taken from on or behind the sideline rather than behind it
WHATS POINT OF THIS?

[gallsman]

Regardless of the individual merits of each one, they should be barred from changing rules that were only voted in or rejected a couple of years ago.

Kicking to the 40m arc was a big shift for players and coaches. It took time and work to embed it. Undoing it, for whatever apparent reason, so soon is ridiculous.

[GTP]

None of the rule changes can be properly trialled and any changes which do not adopt the whole lot will never have been trialled. The belief that there needs to be more significant changes to the rules suggests that the previous Gavin led FRC got it wrong. Yet it was hailed as making the game the best it could be.
If the majority of people aren't unhappy then leave the thing alone.

[Armagh18]

Only decent one there is bringing back the short kickout. Rest of the major ones are awful

[magpie seanie]

The Gavin FRC project failed on so many levels but we ended up with a more attack-favouring game which most people are happier with. So it was deemed - by those not paying much attention and indeed many paying close attention - to be a success. It took a nuclear bomb to crack a nut.

This McStay committee is still trying to fix some of the perceived problem Gavin's crowd stated as aims and thich "purists" rant about. Too many hand passes, lateral play, not enough goals, not enough 1v1 fielding contests.

Both are trying to treat the symptoms, not the underlying issue. The underlying issue is teams will not risk losing possession unnecessarily to satisfy the "purists".


As for what's on the table now:

• An extension of the 40-metre arc to the end-line

Good use of powers of this committee. An oversight previously and a sensible adjustment.

• Two-points for all scores outside the 40-metre arc, apart from 45s

As previous poster stated - not sure what this changes. Personally disagree with two point frees. Could have been experimented with easily here.

• Four points for a goal

Take away 2-point free and 3 points for a goal is fine. Again - you have to be aware of how one change impacts others.

• No scores by hand - fist or open - other than in-flight scores

I don't see fisted points as an issue.

• A limit on consecutive hand-passes to three, with a foot motion - apart from a solo - required on the fourth pass

Tried before and failed. In Ryan Cup you are dealing with top players who are so skilled they easily get around it. Will be carnage if introduced across the board. Pointless and an additional burden on refs.

• A backcourt rule where a team cannot play the ball back across the halfway line into their own half

Overkill and again something additional for refs to deal with. Have seen cases where two guys are going for a ball and if forward wins it his momentum takes him over the halfway line. Does he let the back win it who has no problems continuing his run? A nonsense.

• Substitutes to be increased from five to six (to be excluded from Ryan Cup trial)

Ryan Cup has unlimited subs so this is untried and there is no data behind it.

• Denial of a goalscoring opportunity inside the 20m line, but not within 25m of each sideline or within the semi-circular arc, will bring a black card or red card

I thought this rule was in place already and should be implemented more.

• If a player takes a kick-out mark (claims/does not claim) and is subsequently illegally challenged within his four-metre space, the sanction is a 50m penalty. In both cases the player may choose to take the free-kick from outside the 40m arc

This was binned for good reason before. Why reintoduce?

• 13m frees awarded for dissent/abuse from a member of a backroom team, kick-out infractions or a breach sanction. For both the dissent/abuse and breach infractions the player may choose to take the free-kick from outside the 40m arc

Should never be a 2-point free.

• All kick-outs must cross the 13m arc rather than the 40m arc

This is actually one that might work. From what I've seen so far the number of short kickouts isn't massive but the extra space is giving more 1v1 catch contests as opposed to the "piggery" scenes we see now.

• Sideline free-kicks will be taken from on or behind the sideline rather than behind it

Not sure why you'd change it

[shawshank]

All kick-outs must cross the 13m arc rather than the 40m arc

This is actually one that might work. From what I've seen so far the number of short kickouts isn't massive but the extra space is giving more 1v1 catch contests as opposed to the "piggery" scenes we see now.

This is back to the kickouts we had before the rule changes. This year with the ball travelling outside the 40m arch you had a 4/4/3 press. The reduced space meant 90% went long. In the old game there was a 4/4/4 (12 players) press where short kickouts were king, high fetching almost eliminated. There will be more space with only 11 players allowed to press, long kickouts will again be reduced CONSIDERABLY, the opposite of what the rule was meant to achieve.

[thewobbler]

Only decent one there is bringing back the short kickout. Rest of the major ones are awful

Honestly, you have this wrong.

Gaelic football has an inversely proportional relationship between entertainment and managerial control.

Any rule changes that increase the potential for tactical overthinking would be to the detriment of the game.

[thewobbler]

The back court rule will definitely require a "momentum" clause. It wouldn't even be hard to define "should the momentum of player receiving the ball carry him across the breach line, this would not be considered a breach so long as the possession play continues with forward intent".

[Ethan Tremblay]

Only decent one there is bringing back the short kickout. Rest of the major ones are awful

Honestly, you have this wrong.

Gaelic football has an inversely proportional relationship between entertainment and managerial control.

Any rule changes that increase the potential for tactical overthinking would be to the detriment of the game.

I mean, there can be no real tactical overthinking here if the handpass rule is adopted also? 

If a kickout goes short, and the defending team presses up, chances are the team with the ball will break the handpass rule trying to maintain possession or potentially give away a poor kick pass. 

The handpass rule alongside the backcourt rule will also lead to the same problem, teams having to kick the ball away or get blown up for 4 handpasses. 

Long kickouts will most likely continue to be encouraged, given the risk of kicking it short and:

1 - getting disposed
2 - giving up a free for breaching handpassing rule
3 - giving up possession by being forced to kick it long. 

[Armagh18]

Realistically will any of this shite come in?

[magpie seanie]

All kick-outs must cross the 13m arc rather than the 40m arc

This is actually one that might work. From what I've seen so far the number of short kickouts isn't massive but the extra space is giving more 1v1 catch contests as opposed to the "piggery" scenes we see now.

This is back to the kickouts we had before the rule changes. This year with the ball travelling outside the 40m arch you had a 4/4/3 press. The reduced space meant 90% went long. In the old game there was a 4/4/4 (12 players) press where short kickouts were king, high fetching almost eliminated. There will be more space with only 11 players allowed to press, long kickouts will again be reduced CONSIDERABLY, the opposite of what the rule was meant to achieve.

But it will not be the same precisely because of the 11v11 aspect. I've seen a couple of 3rd level games and there are very few short kickouts and more 1v1 fielding contests because players are more spread out. Might not last and 3rd level football is by nature much more attacking (might not be the best test ground).

[johnnycool]

• Denial of a goalscoring opportunity inside the 20m line, but not within 25m of each sideline or within the semi-circular arc, will bring a black card or red card

This came up in the AI Hurling Semi-final where Clare were denied a stonewall penalty as it was deemed the fouled player (Peter Duggan) wasn't in possession of the ball when he was fouled.

He'd flicked it over the Limerick defenders head and was about to run onto it when dragged to the ground.

Does this loophole also exist in the football rules?