This weekend will mark a step into the unknown for the GAA, as the seven core proposals of Gaelic football's Review Committee are put to the test publicly in a series of interprovincial games in Croke Park.
The Football Review Committee have worked extensively over the past year, engaging with key stakeholders and analysing scores of data to develop the changes they deem necessary to push Gaelic football in a bold new direction.
Ultimately, the committee have come up with seven key proposals which have been put to the test thus far in seven "sandbox" games behind closed doors.
We spoke to FRC chairman Jim Gavin last week, and he told us how confident the committee are that their changes will go down positively when the GAA community gets their first glimpse of them in action this weekend.
We've broken down the seven major rule changes that will be trialled in the 'Railway Cup' games in Croke Park, with the core principles and reasoning behind each proposal.
READ HERE: Joe Brolly Had "Animated" Rule Change Debate With Jim Gavin At Wake
READ HERE: Kerry Hurling Star Set For Shock Inter-County Change To Kilkenny
GAA: The seven rule changes proposed by the Football Review Committee
1v1 throw-ins
29 June 2024; Brian Fenton of Dublin and Paul Conroy of Galway get ready as referee Sean Hurson throws the ball in to start the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final match between Dublin and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
FRC: "To start the game and restart it after halftime, the referee will throw-in the ball between 2 players. The other 2 midfielders will take position on opposite sides of the field on the halfway line."
The first of the seven proposals will see just two players contest the throw-in at the beginning of each half. The FRC have explained that the consistent fouling at 2v2 throw-ins was the motivation for bringing in this rule change. The hope is that the new setup will allow the player gaining possession to break into attack immediately.
The FRC also commented at last week's media briefing in Croke Park that calls for referees to crack down on fouling at throw-ins in 2024 had not been deemed successful, increasing the perceived need for change in this area.
Kick-outs
FRC: "Kick out's must go beyond the 40m arc. Players must remain 13m from the ball but may stay inside the 20m line."
In a lengthy and detailed report circulated by the FRC at the Croke Park media briefing, it was argued that the resumption of play is oftentimes delayed by players slowly returning to position outside the 20m line. The hope is that this change will encourage teams to quickly develop attacks, while also creating room for innovation with how the attacking team utilises the space inside the 20m line.
Kick-outs can also only be played once the ball has travelled past the 40m arc, with the hope for this to create more 1v1 contests due to the increased size of the area.
Role of the goalkeeper
30 June 2024; Derry goalkeeper Odhran Lynch kicks a point from play during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final match between Kerry and Derry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
FRC: "The goalkeeper may only receive a pass from a teammate if they are inside the opposition half, or if they and the player passing the ball are inside their large rectangle."
During our roundtable discussion last week, Jim Gavin told Balls.ie that this rule has received a mixed reception from the goalkeepers involved in the sandbox games thus far but, if executed correctly, it could be a major blow to the slow, possession-based football which the FRC are seeking to eliminate.
Under the new rules, the goalkeeper can receive the ball from a teammate inside his own half only when both players are inside the large rectangle. He may also receive a pass from a teammate after crossing the halfway line.
The FRC hope that this will encourage teams to "play in a forward direction and not use the goalkeeper as a pivot and an outlet to recycle possession."
Solo-and-go
FRC: "A player fouled may immediately take a solo and go."
Multiple members of the GAA Football Review Committee said that the "solo-and-go" had been the best received of the seven core principles during the series of sandbox games.
This rule change will remove the condition that players must seek the referee's permission to take a free-kick, with the goal of speeding up the pace of the game. The solo-and-go must be taken in a forward direction, and the player taking it is allowed 4m of advantage - they cannot be challenged within 4m of where the solo-and-go is taken.
Any player on the team fouled can take the solo-and-go, provided the ball is tapped within 4m of where the initial foul took place.
3 players in each half
FRC: "Each team must keep any 3 outfield players in each half of the field. Leaving 11 outfield players to defend in one's half of the field and 11 outfield players to attack (a dashed line, from side-line-to-side-line, will now mark midfield)"
The goal behind the 3/3 rule is to create more structure to the game and encourage more attacking play twofold. Firstly, the number of defending players in a team's half will be limited to 11, opening more space for attackers, while the three players remaining upfield will create opportunities for quick counter-attacking play.
Enforcement of this rule will differ depending on the scenario in which the offence occurs but, in most scenarios, the penalty will be a free kick to the opposition on the offending team's 20m line.
Advanced mark
24 March 2024; Joe Oguz of Tyrone wins a mark during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Dublin and Tyrone at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
FRC: "The current advance mark is gone. A new mark is introduced whereby a player may claim a mark if the ball is caught inside the 20m line after it is kick passed outside the 45m line. To reward the risk, the player may continue on until the advantage is no longer accrued, whereby the referee will give a free-kick from the place of the mark."
Though a player can still avail of a mark immediately by raising their arm upright, the goal of the updated advanced mark ruling is to encourage more exciting and ambitious play by affording players the option of an advantage.
An example of David Clifford's mark in the 2022 All-Ireland football final was frequently cited by the FRC as the kind of incident this change seeks to eradicate from the pre-existing advanced mark ruling.
40m arc and scoring
FRC: "A new 40m arc will be introduced at each end and extend back to join at the 20m line. A point scored outside the arc is worth 2 points, a point inside the arc or inside the 20m line is worth 1 point and a goal will accrue 4 points."
The most radical of the rule changes, the 40m arc will change the scoring system in Gaelic football for the first time since 1896.
Though the FRC hope that this change will encourage teams to try more spectacular long-range shots, the introduction of four-point goals is hoped to give both teams a decision to make in attacking situations and create more jeopardy.
The attacking team will be forced to decide whether to take an audacious long-range shot or to play the ball in closer to goal. Meanwhile, the defending 11 will have to choose between vehemently defending their 2-point arc and sacrificing space closer to the goal, or vice versa.
Gavin's Football Review Committee believe this will get GAA supporters "up off their seats."
The Gaelic football review committee hope that this weekend's trial run will be sufficient to see the seven core rule changes passed by the GAA congress for use in the 2025 season. Their goal is that the game of football be transformed into one of the most exciting, attacking field sports in the world - something that Gaelic football fans would surely not complain about.
