The following are some comments for referees regarding the NEW football rules. They are meant to answer ALL questions.
New Football Rules 2020
(Based on Official Directive Issued By Croke Park)
Date of Implementation 1/1/2020
THE ADVANCED MARK
The Referee shall now award a Mark by blowing his whistle:
When a player catches the ball cleanly on or inside a 45m line from a kick in play (i.e. not from set-play) delivered by an attacking player on or beyond the opposing team’s 45m line, that travels at least 20m and without it touching the ground.
So, what are the important things here:
1. The Referee must first award the Mark by blowing his whistle
2. The Ref only does this if the ball was KICKED in OPEN PLAY from on or outside the 45m line (OPEN PLAY means it CANNOT be from a free, a sideline kick, a 45 or a free for an earlier mark from a kick out)
3. The ball can have been kicked from the hands, or from the ground. If it was kicked from the ground, the kick must have risen it off the ground so that it doesn’t touch the ground again until it has travelled the 20m or more and is cleanly caught by the player awarded the Advanced Mark
4. If the ball was kicked by an ATTACKING player from on or outside the 45, has travelled at least 20m without touching the ground, and is caught by ANY player on or INSIDE the 45, the Ref should blow his whistle to award the Mark. Please note that our understanding of the Croke Park directive is that a DEFENDING player including a defending goalkeeper CAN be awarded a Mark, provided that the ball was kicked from on or outside the 45 by an ATTACKING player. So in other words, a defender who has just run outside his own 45 CANNOT turn around and kick a long ball back inside to another defender to let him claim a Mark – the ball has to have been kicked in by an ATTACKER. As long as the ball is kicked in by an ATTACKER, then ANY player on EITHER team can claim a Mark on or inside the 45. Please also note that the ball does not need to have travelled 20m straight up the field – it can have gone 20m “crooked” or diagonally either, as long as it started on or OUTSIDE the 45, and ended up caught by any player on or INSIDE the 45
5. Once the Ref has blown his whistle to award the Mark, the player who has caught the ball must signal that he wants to accept/take the Mark by holding up his arm. If not, he can play on immediately
6. If he holds up his arm to accept/claim the Mark, then he MUST take the Mark free kick and CANNOT later decide to play on. If he does decide to play on, the Ref should cancel the Mark and throw in the ball between one player from each team
7. If a player claims a Mark, he must take the kick himself from the hands, and has 15 seconds to take it. Note that it is 15 seconds now, NOT five. (If a Mark is awarded and claimed inside the 13m line, the player must bring it out to the 13m line to take the free kick). Opposing players must retreat 13m from a Mark free as for any other free and if they don’t, the free is moved up 13m more advantageous. If the Ref moves the free up 13m, note it is now a totally new free and is not a Mark anymore. Because it is now an ordinary free, it can be taken from the hands or off the ground by any player, not just the player who originally claimed the Mark
8. If he decides to play on and not take the Mark, he cannot be tackled until he takes 4 steps or for the time taken to take four steps. If he is tackled before this, it is now an ordinary free to the player from where he was tackled i.e. fouled (and can again be now taken by any player from the hands or off the ground, because it is a new free and no longer a Mark free).
The exception to this is if he catches the ball inside the large rectangle (i.e. what we commonly call the penalty area) – if he catches it in here and decides to play on, he can be tackled immediately9. If player who makes the Mark is injured and cannot take Mark free, the Referee shall direct nearest team mate to take it
10. If player who makes the Mark gets sent off, the Referee shall direct nearest team mate to take it. (Note this is different from a “normal free”. If a player awarded a normal free did something to merit sending off, you would cancel the free and throw in the ball, but according to the Directive, getting sent off does not “lose” your team the Mark)
11. If a player takes longer than 15 seconds to take a Mark free, cancel it and throw in the ball
12. A score may be made from a Mark free. Note the score can now be made by either the player who got the original Mark, or his team mate if he is directed to take it by the Ref
Kick- Out Mark:
The Kick-Out Mark continues as before for clean catches from a Kick Out on or beyond the 45m line, but note the following changes:
1. As before the Ref blows his whistle to award the Mark
2. The player must now raise his arm if he wants to accept/claim it (just like for the Advanced Mark). Again as with the Advanced Mark, if he raises his arm to accept/claim the Mark, he cannot then decide to play on. If he does, cancel and throw in
3. He now has 15 seconds to take the Mark free if he decides to accept it, not 5 seconds. (If takes over 15 seconds, cancel and throw in)
4. If he is injured/sent off, the Ref again designates his nearest team mate to take the kick, and this team mate CAN also score from the Mark free
SIN BIN
Firstly, what does this new Rule say?
To order off, for ten minutes in a Sin-Bin, a player who commits a Cynical Behaviour Foul/Infraction by taking his name and showing him a Black Card, provided the player has not committed a Cautionable Infraction (Yellow Card) previously in the game.
If on resuming play, the player commits a further Cynical Behaviour Foul/Infraction, he shall be ordered off by showing him a Black Card, followed by a Red Card.
The time period in the Sin-Bin shall be of 10 minutes duration, irrespective of delays.
The ten minutes shall traverse normal time (which includes additional time) and Extra Time, if played.
So what are the important things here:
1. The Sin Bin ONLY applies (for black card infractions) to a player who has received NO earlier card. If he had an earlier yellow or an earlier black, he now gets a black followed by red and is ordered off (and cannot be replaced) and NO Sin Bin. In the same way, if a player has done 10 minutes in the Sin Bin and gets a yellow/black card for some other foul after coming back on, then it is yellow/black followed by red and he is off. The simple rule is that two cards of any colour still get you a red and sent off, so remember the new Sin Bin rule does not change this at all
2. The 10 minutes start to count from when the Ref restarts the game
3. Unless there is a Sideline Official (i.e. a Fourth Official), which is very rare at Club level, then the REFEREE is in charge of timing the 10 minutes
4. When the 10 minutes are up, the player cannot come back on until there is a break in play and he is given permission by the Ref. If he comes back on without your permission, give him a yellow card for Challenging Your Authority and of course because he has already had a black, the yellow is followed by red and he is off completely with no sub allowed!
5. If a game goes to Extra Time and there is still a player in the Sin Bin, he must finish out whatever is left of his 10 minutes in the Sin Bin at the start of Extra Time. He cannot be replaced and his team must start the Extra Time with 14 players until he finishes his 10 minutes in the Bin
6. Remember too that if a player has some time to serve in the Bin when you blow for half time, he must finish his 10 minutes at the start of the Second Half
7. If goalkeeper is put in the Sin Bin, he can be replaced by an outfield player who must wear a goalkeeper’s jersey to get the privileges of a goalkeeper. They can of course decide to bring on a specialist goalkeeper for the 10 minutes and replace an outfield player to do so, but that would count as an “ordinary” sub
8. Just remember that because of this new Sin Bin rule, the number of subs in football is now back to FIVE for Normal Time, and is not Six any longer
9. Black cards DO now carry into Extra Time (if played). In other words, if you have done your 10 minutes in the Sin Bin in Normal Time, that carries through to Extra Time (and is not cancelled for the Extra Time), and any yellow or black in Extra Time is followed by Red. So remember, Black Cards carry into Extra Time but Yellow Cards don’t!!
10. If a player who is actually “sitting” in the Sin Bin happens to commit another carding infraction of any colour (hopefully this won’t happen too often!!), then he gets whatever card is appropriate and because it’s now a second card, he is off for the full game (with a red card) with no sub allowed
11. Finally, remember the 10 minutes in the Sin Bin include stoppages, so it is a “simple” 10 minutes from whatever time you RESTART THE GAME after putting him in the Bin with nothing added on. Clearly Refs will have to develop whatever system works for them in keeping track of when players in the Bin can come back on. However, assuming you have one stopwatch that you keep running all the time and don’t ever stop, probably just write down the exact time on that stopwatch that you RESTARTED THE GAME after ordering the player to the Bin, and therefore he can come back on when that (always running) stopwatch shows exactly 10 minutes later. If his time in the Bin is going to run over into the Second Half or Extra Time, you will need to calculate how much of his 10 minutes is left (you can do this over the interval, so take your time and get it right), and make sure that he serves this remaining time at the start of the Second Half/Extra Time
KICKOUT FROM 20m LINE
This is the last New Rule for 2020.
The kick out must now be taken from the CENTRE POINT of the 20m line (not from anywhere within the large rectangle) AND SHALL BE KICKED FORWARD
All players except the goalkeeper and the player taking the kick (if other than the goalkeeper) shall be outside the 20m line, outside the semi-circular arc and 13m from the ball until it has been kicked
In summary:
o Kick-out to be taken from the ground at the centre of 20m line
o Kick out cannot be kicked backwards
o All players except the goalkeeper and the player taking the kick (if other than the goalkeeper) to be outside 20m line, 13m from the ball and outside the semi – circular arc
o Goalkeeper not taking the kick out – he shall remain in small rectangle
o Ball shall not travel less than 13m and outside the 20m line before being played by another member of defending team
Eanáir 2020