Football Review Committee publishes Final Report 

By John Harrington

The Football Review Committee today published its Final Report which evaluates the Gaelic football rule enhancements trialled during this year’s inter-county and club competitions and proposes their retention along with modifications for permanent adoption in the Official Guide from 2026.

The proposed retention of the rule enhancements with modifications will be voted on at Special Congress on October 4 in Croke park.

The rule modifications that are proposed include:

• Penalising early movement by players before 1v1 throw-ins.

• Changing the kick-out mark delay penalty from a throw-in to a free kick.

• Clarifying enforcement of Solo and Go distance.

• Introducing a black card for jersey-pulling in goal-scoring situations.

• Extending penalty awards for cynical fouls in goal-scoring situations to club competitions.

• Clarifying conditions for 2-point scores when touched by the opposition.

• Empowering neutral sideline officials to report foul play.

The FRC’s final report also proposes to establish a Gaelic Football Expert Advisory Group, supported by the Games Intelligence Unit, to monitor trends and advise the Standing Committee on Playing Rules in order to better inform future decisions.

GAA President, Jarlath Burns, has paid tribute to the work undertaken by the FRC and its chairperson Jim Gavin, which believes has had a hugely positive impact on the game.

“It is no exaggeration to state that we have got our game back and at inter-county level both the Allianz Leagues and GAA Championship as competitions bore this out,” said Burns.

“There was a degree of nervousness around how the same rules might apply from the highest level down into our club competitions, but this too has been a huge success, bedding in well and breathing life back into our game amongst the largest cohort that plays it – namely our club players.

“Needless to say, this juncture has not been reached by accident. An incredible amount of work was undertaken by the Football Review Committee and its chairperson Jim Gavin – work that began the day after Congress 2024 in Newry.

“The diligence of those charged with embracing what was an onerous task is something we should be grateful for and is one of the reasons the process ran in the efficient manner that it did.

“The second observation worth making in that regard was the engagement process that underpinned the initiative. People at every level of the organisation were afforded an opportunity to contribute and this fostered a buy-in and general goodwill which assisted immeasurably in the profile and awareness of the proposals that emerged.

“When you have players, match officials, coaches, administrators, supporters and journalists all involved in any such initiative the chances of delivering impactful change are enhanced immeasurably. All of these groupings deserve commendation.

“Similarly, the metrics brought to bear on the exercise were similarly crucial. The old adage ‘What gets measured gets done’ holds water for a reason. The follow-up and attention to detail around the whole initiative was second to none and is evidenced once more by the information included in this publication.

“The various stages of the project were well flagged from the outset and closely followed, and we are well and truly in the review phase.

“The rule changes will now go before Special Congress with a view to having them included in the permanent rules of Gaelic football and our delegates will ultimately debate associated issues before providing their verdict.

“It has been a busy and ultimately productive period for the great game and one that leaves the code in an infinitely better state, a belief supported by the transformation of the national commentary around the game.”

The Football Review Committee's Final Report can be viewed and downloaded below.