Gaelic Games

Jim Gavin says changes football review committee is proposing have potential to reinvigorate Gaelic football

Committee’s ‘rule enhancements’ will be trialled during next week’s one-off Railway Cup revival at Croke Park

GAA football review committee chairperson Jim Gavin speaking during a briefing of the review committee at Croke Park. Photograph: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Gordon Manning
Fri Oct 11 2024 - 06:00

Jim Gavin believes the changes his football review committee (FRC) is proposing have the potential to reinvigorate Gaelic football. The FRC’s “rule enhancements” will be trialled during next week’s one-off Railway Cup revival at Croke Park, having already gone through a series of road tests in sandbox games across the country.

Gavin, the FRC chairman, has delivered the committee’s interim report at Croke Park. The proposals will be reviewed by Central Council on October 26th, after which the GAA’s governing body will determine what motions should go before special congress on November 30th.

Successful proposals tabled at that congress gathering would become operational on a one-season trial basis from the start of January 2025 – with leeway given to counties until March to implement the new rules at club level. Following the conclusion of the 2025 intercounty season, the FRC will then present a final report with proposals for permanent rule changes in 2026.

“After the fifth (sandbox) game we had solidified our thoughts and yet up to last week we were still modifying some of the rule enhancements because of what we saw,” said Gavin.

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Jim Gavin giving a media briefing at Croke Park. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

“It’s a bold thing to say but this has the potential to become one of the most exciting field games to watch.”

The FRC produced an extensive 204-page interim report for the briefing. The committee met 35 times; carried out a public survey with over 7,000 responses; considered 5,000 emails/letters; carried out meetings with stakeholders including provincial councils, referees, the GPA, intercounty managers; and played seven sandbox games.

“We wanted to see what people’s subjective comments were and what the qualitative data was, and what that told us was there was a huge appetite there for change,” said Gavin. “My surprise was that from every age group, every province, every rank in terms of players, managers, spectators, they all acknowledged that we have a good game.

“But when they delved into the specifics there were things that they wanted to change. I look at it in the positive way – they wanted to see more kick-passing, more high-fielding, more goalscoring, more one-to-one, more creativity, as opposed to saying what they didn’t want to see.”

The FRC’s seven core enhancements are:

  • One v one throw-in at the start of each half.
  • Teams must keep at least three players inside their half of the field at all times.
  • The implementation of a 40-metre scoring arc outside and new scoring system – 2pts for a score from outside the arc and four points for a goal.
  • Solo and go
  • New advanced mark where the ball must be collected inside the 20-metre line from a pass delivered from outside the 45-metre line. There will also be an advantage element.
  • Kickouts must travel beyond the 40-metre arc.
  • Limiting back passes to the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper may only receive a pass from a team-mate if they are inside the opposition half of the field, or if the goalkeeper and the player passing the ball are inside the large rectangle.

There are several other proposals under consideration, including the introduction of a stop clock and the use of vanishing foam to indicate where a free should be taken from.

The FRC has also examined technical fouls, aggressive fouls, and dissent – with recommendations to include the advancement of the ball 50 metres for certain rule breaches. They are also considering the use of rolling subs in the future.

The football review committee interim report. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

They looked at limiting handpasses as well but resolved it would not get the support required at congress.

But the seven core enhancements are the FRC’s main play, and Gavin is confident they would make the game of Gaelic football a better spectacle if introduced.

“The data that we’re seeing is high speed running is through the roof, and we’ve seen a lot more kick-passing,” said the former Dublin manager. “The amount of shots we’ve had on goal, it’s beyond anything I’ve seen recently and the games I’ve been involved in as manager.

“What’s the worst case scenario that can happen? The worst case scenario is that players get very fatigued and the game gets messy. Maybe that’s the worst case. I’m not looking through a lens, it’s just hard to see it not working. It’s what we’ve seen.”

The interprovincial series will see two semi-finals on Friday, October 18th (Leinster v Connacht at 6pm and Munster v Ulster at 8pm). The shield final between the two beaten semi-finalists will take place on the Saturday at 5.30pm, with the cup final throwing in at 7.30pm. Tickets are €15 for adults and €5 for juveniles, which covers entry for both days.

Gordon Manning

Gordon Manning

Gordon Manning is a sports journalist, specialising in Gaelic games, with The Irish Times