With a host of clubs into the thick of their pre-season preparations, the FA have confirmed a selection of rule changes ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Law 5- Goalkeeper’s
The biggest rule change has been in place since July 1 and throughout the Club World Cup after it was announced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in March.
It comes in an attempt to prevent goalkeepers holding onto the ball for an extended period, and states that any goalkeeper who has hold of the ball for longer than eight seconds will see a corner kick awarded to the opposition.
The previous law, which was rarely enforced, stated that goalkeepers could only hold onto the ball for six seconds and an indirect free kick would have been awarded for a breach.
According to Law five announced by the FA this week referees will use a hand signal to warn the goalkeeper once they have held the ball for five seconds, although it remains unclear whether a yellow card will accompany the infringement.
Law 3- Only the Captain
After being trialed in UEFA competitions last season including Euro 24, the ‘Only the Captain’ rule currently looks unlikely to affect Lincolnshire clubs in the league with only the Premier League looking set to implement it.
Despite that, the rule will still play a key part in this season’s FA Cup and states that only captain’s will be able to approach the referee at certain points of the game and any other players will be shown a yellow card.
The time at which other players cannot approach the referee will be shown through a hand signal, however if the captain is a goalkeeper a different player should be selected before the coin toss.
Law 8- dropped balls
The dropped ball rule has been clarified to further establish how the ball will be returned to the team in possession dependant on it’s positioning on the pitch.
If play is stopped with the ball inside the penalty area it will be returned to the goalkeeper of the defending team regardless of who was in possession.
When outside the penalty area it is returned to the team that had or would have had possession according to the referee and is dropped from the same position as when play stopped.
Law 9- Interference from off the pitch
An indirect free-kick and no disciplinary sanction will be awarded if a person not involved in play touches the ball as it is leaving the pitch if there is no intention to interfere unfairly.
Whereas before the rule change, they would have been sent off and a direct free kick awarded regardless of intention. For example, in 2024 Carlos Corberan was sent to the stands while he was in charge at West Bromwich Albion as he stopped the ball when it appeared to be going out for a throw-in.
Law 11- Offside
A further clarification has been made for if a goalkeeper throws the ball to a teammate in an offside position in which judgement for a decision will be made based off the last point of contact the goalkeeper has with the ball. This will be used to determine whether the player was in an offside position when the ball was played.
VAR Changes
Finally, should any Lincolnshire side make it to the later stages of the FA Cup, or the Carabao Cup in the case of the Imps or Grimsby Town, and be faced with the prospect of a VAR check when visiting a Premier League Stadium, will face a minor change trialed last season.
Those competitions now have the option for the referee to make a stadium announcement following any lengthy checks that may take place, although an amount of time has not been announced.