Experimental rules for football are to be introduced for four of the country's senior subsidiary competitions from next month. The four competitions are the McGrath Cup in Munster the O'Byrne Cup in Leinster, The FBD League in Connacht and the McKenna Cup in Ulster.
Seven new experimental rules will be in force including the allowance of a "mark" or free kick for an overhead catch from a kick-out, picking the ball off the ground, the allowance of five substitutes, the introduction of two referees in some major matches and a limitation on the solo run.
The new experimental rules have been drawn up by the 10-man Football Development Committee chaired by the president of the Munster Council, Noel Walsh. The other members of the committee are: Bob Honohan (Cork), Tony O'Keeffe (Kerry), Colm O'Rourke (Meath), Pat O'Neill (Dublin), Eugene McGee (Longford), Liam Sammon (Galway), Martin Caraney (Mayo), Danny McNamee (Donegal) and Art McRory (Tyrone).
The details of the rules were announced officially at Croke Park yesterday and will come into force in a number of matches on January 4th next.
The experiment can be continued for a three-year term before being modified or sent forward for ratification at a rule-making annual congress in the year 2000.
Outlining the thinking behind the experiment, Noel Walsh told press representatives that the work of the committee was a response to widespread complaints about petty fouling in football.
Eugene McGee said that the limitation on the solo run was an attempt to get players to "move the ball rather than move with the ball".
Other points made by members of the committee included the rule which calls for the booking of players for a first offence of pushing, pulling or holding and a sending off for a second similar offence. A player sent off for such a reason would be banned only for the duration of the match in question.
The allowing of players to lift the ball off the ground was designed to cope with a situation in which referees seldom gave frees. A player would, however, have to be standing on both feet before being allowed to pick the ball off the ground. A player sliding, kneeling or lying on the ground would still be forbidden from lifting the ball while in such a position.
It was accepted that getting referees was a continuing problem but the suggestion of using two referees was an attempt to deal with "off the ball" incidents in major matches, including intimidation and abusive or inflammatory language.
The allowance of five, rather than three substitutions, would help cope with difficulties encountered by team managers. Martin Carney pointed out that it was very difficult to motivate players who might never get an opportunity of making an appearance. The present limit of three was unrealistic since one of five nominated subs would be a goalkeeper and therefore had the effect of limiting a manager's options.
Pat O'Neill, the former Dublin player and later successful manager, said that the 70-minute match and the intensity of the modern game was putting extra pressure on players and managers. If five substitutions were allowed, more players would feel they had a genuine hope of playing at some stage during a match.
The making of substitutions from the halfway line would rule out some problems for referees and linesmen. Substitutions frequently caused misunderstandings among players and spectators alike.
The committee members pointed out that their purpose was to see how the suggested changes worked in a real competitive situation. From time to time slight modifications might be introduced.
It was also emphasised that one of the competitions designated for the experiment, the McKenna Cup, would start much later than the other competitions by which time the committee would have seen the new rules in operation and make minor alterations if they thought it necessary.
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