ON 19 OCTOBER, the GAA’s Special Congress will vote on the proposed permanent introduction of three rules at all levels of Gaelic football.

The rule changes are as follows:

• Advanced mark - The awarding of a mark to players who cleanly catch a ball kicked from on or outside the opposition’s 45m line, that travels at least 20m without touching the ground
• Sin Bin - The introduction of a 10-minute ‘sin bin’ for players who receive a black card.
• Kick-outs - All kick-outs must be taken from the 20m line

The GAA have today announced various tweaks to the three proposed changes.

ADVANCED MARK

For the advanced mark, the player must now signal to the referee he is taking the mark by immediately raising his arm upright – in a similar fashion to Australian Rules.

If the mark is awarded to the attacking team inside the 13m line, the player must take his free-kick from the 13m line directly in line with where it was awarded.

Rather than five seconds, players now have 15 seconds to take the kick before the referee cancels the mark.

Defending players must now retreat 13m. If an opposing player impedes the kick taker, the referee will penalise his team by bringing the ball forward to the attacking 13m line.

If the referee determines a player has been injured while taking a mark and is unable to take the kick, the nearest player will be directed to take it and may score from it. This may only be allowed in exceptional circumstances.

SIN BIN

A player in receipt of a black card and ordered to the sin-bin for ten minutes with less than ten minutes remaining in normal time can play in extra-time but must serve his remaining time in the sin-bin first.

The maximum number of substitutions permitted during normal-time in football will be reduced from six to five. (Due to the black card no longer requiring a substitution) 

KICK-OUTS

Kick-outs must be taken from the centre of the 20m line and must go forward.

If the goalkeeper is not taking the kick-out, he must stand outside the 20m line, outside the semi-circular arc and 13m from the ball until it has been kicked.

Opponents cannot be inside the 20m line, inside the semi-circular arc or nearer than 13m from the ball until a kick-out is taken. The penalty for a failure to do so is the awarding of a free 13m forward from where the kick-out was taken.

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