Category: sport

As we approach the start of another season it means referees across the globe must learn and apply the law changes introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

For the 2025/26 season IFAB have made nine changes to the laws of the game. However, there are two changes that are significantly different and will have a significant impact.

Captains only Procedure

One of the most significant changes is the introduction of the captains only procedure. IFAB have now given the green light for competitions to implement the ‘captains only’procedure.

The procedure has been set in motion so there can be a stronger collaboration between referees and team captains.

The procedure’s objective is to prevent referees from being subjected to dissent when they make decisions. It was also created to prevent players running towards, mobbing and surrounding referees.

The procedure outlines that the captain is allowed to approach the referee but it must be in a calm and respectful manner.

If players surround a referee after a key incident the referee can instruct verbally and with gestures not to approach them.

The team captain is then responsible for getting his players away from the referee. If the players don’t move and continue to engage in dissent then the players approaching and surrounding the referee may be cautioned.

The referee also has the ability to delay the restart of play so the captain can speak with their team mates to explain the decision made.

Referees will still interact with players during the game. This helps build mutual respect between the players and the referee. It is important that referees do this as it makes their ability to manage the game far easier with the players if there is trust and mutual respect.

Eight Second goalkeeper change

The second major change to the laws of the game season is goalkeepers now have 8 seconds to release the ball from their arms.

The referee will start the count when the referee is happy that the goalkeeper has control of the ball. IFAB have made it clear that the goalkeeper doesn’t need to be standing when the referee starts to count down.

This is because there have been numerous cases when goalkeepers get hold of the ball they then decide to fall to the ground and stay their for some time without anyone preventing them from standing up.

The referee will count down from eight to six in their head. But from five to zero the referee will raise their hand and use their fingers to count down to avoid the goalkeeper being penalised.

If the referee does reach all the way down to zero then a corner kick will be awarded from the side closest from where the referee penalised the goalkeeper.

According to IFAB the law change was made due to referees not enforcing the law they said:”Referees were not enforcing the Law, and goalkeepers were holding the ball for much longer than six seconds to waste time and change the tempo of the match, especially when their team were winning.”

IFAB also commented on why referees weren’t enforcing the law they said: “Referees were seldom penalising goalkeepers for holding the ball for longer than six seconds,mainly because managing an indirect free kick in the penalty area is very difficult and usually disrupts the rhythm of the game more than the goalkeeper does by holding the ball for too long.”

IFAB underwent trials during the 24/25 season in 400 competitive marches across England,Italy and Malta.

During the trials very few goalkeepers were penalised by referees. Across 179 matches in Malta no goalkeeper was penalised by the referee. Across 160 matches in England and 80 matches in Italy there were five cases when a goalkeeper was penalised.

Surveys were completed from the trial participants.The feedback from goalkeepers, referees and coaches was very positive.

63.7% said the change had a positive impact on the game. 72.5% said the game was faster as a result of the change. 87.6% said the five-second countdown by the referee was helpful.

After the shock exit of former manager Billy Wood at the end of February, Uckfield’s form has been a mixed bag. They will be looking for three points against Banstead Athletic,who find themselves at the wrong end of the table.

Since taking over as Interim Manager, Wilf Holman has dealt with the mass exodus of players who left The Oaks to join Billy Wood’s reformed Lancing side at the end of February.

Since taking the helm Holman has taken nine points from a possible eighteen. With impressive wins against Storrington, Copthorne and Arundel

The Oaks will be looking for another three points to keep their play-off hopes alive.

Uckfield are three points behind Worthing United who occupy the final play off place, so victory would see Uckfield go level on points with ‘The Mavericks’.

Uckfield currently have two-games-in-hand on Worthing United, who face title chasing Forest Row on Wednedsay evening. So, Uckfield will want to capitalise and ensure they collect all three points.

Infinity are also level on points with Worthing United but are one spot higher due to their superior goal difference.

Uckfield still have a lot of football to play. Due to the number of postponements over the winter months, Uckfield still have eleven games to play, with nine to play in April

Uckfield will want to pick up as many points possible before their final three games which on paper are very tough.

On the 19th April they head to play-off rivals Worthing United, before entertaining title chasing Forest Row on Easter Bank Holiday Monday. Their final league game is a trip to Godalming Town who will be looking to guarantee their home play off tie.

Banstead come into this game in impressive form which has counted them out of any potential relegation battle. They currently sit eighteen points ahead of 19th placed Montpellier Villa.

Banstead have also taken nine points from their last eighteen with victories against Alfold, Copthorne and Storrington.

Banstead had a close encounter with league leaders Seaford Town on Saturday leaving The Crouch with an agonising 4-3 defeat.

A victory for Uckfield could be huge for their play-off hopes, as it would by the first time since January that they’ve won two consecutive games.

Those victories saw them defeat mid-table Oakwood and an impressive victory against league leaders Seaford.

This will be something Uckfield need to address if they want to keep their play-off hopes alive.

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Being a referee at grassroots level is for the brave. Referees “regularly” hear “horrible” stories which their colleagues experience on grassroots pitches every week. 

Participant behaviour makes refereeing grassroots football even more challenging which sees referees leaving in crowds season after season. 

 Abuse is the leading factor which sees the exodus of referees in England. In the last five years it is estimated that the number of referees in England has gone from 32,000 to 23,000 meaning almost a third of referees have left the game.  

Richard Lamprell a Level five referee in Eastbourne, East Sussex has spent lots of time refereeing grassroots football since he qualified in 2021. He said: “I regularly hear stories of other referees experiencing horrible abuse in grassroots football.” 

He added: “A referee who I know from the Sunday League I referee on, was followed into the changing room at the end of a game and had a player screaming inches from their face and the rest of the players from the aggrieved team were waiting for this referee in the carpark.” 

Abuse in football go hand in hand. It is part of the culture from Old Trafford to the local park on a Saturday afternoon. Richard Lamprell believes the behaviour we see on grassroots pitches mirrors what we see on the television from the global superstars. 

He said: “The Culture is wrong from the top down, it’s really common to see players rushing to surround referees and spectators screaming abuse. Grassroots players see that on Match of the Day every week and they go and copy that behaviour.” 

Referees don’t have neutral appointed assistant referees on every game until you get to step 6 of the non-League pyramid in most parts of the country. So, refereeing at grassroots level can be lonely for officials who don’t have a team to work with unlike the players on the pitch and makes the job even more difficult.  

Richard Lamprell said: “It’s so easy to feel completely alone on a grassroots pitch as you deliver the game completely solo with club assistants, also as arrive and leave on your own, you only get a bit of a safety net if you decide to progress.”  

As a grassroots referee there are opportunities to interact with other officials. There are 306 local Referee associations across the country. The associations have monthly meetings during the season to discuss all things refereeing. The associations also organise guest speakers to give referees in that local area advice and tips. 

Dissent shown by players that escalates to abuse is a huge obstacle grassroots referee are forced to overcome and has contributed to referees quitting. 

BBC Radio 5 live released a questionnaire to referees to share their experiences. Out of the 927 responses 908 said they have been verbally abused by a player, dugout occupant or spectator.  

The questionnaire revealed that almost a third of the referees had been physically abused on the pitch. The questionnaire revealed 293 of those referees had been physically abused. 

In 2019 the FA introduced sin bins into every competition up to step five of the non-league pyramid. This came after trials across 31 leagues in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons.  

The Sin bin is only used for dissent cautions. If a referee cautions a player for dissent, they will leave the field of play for 10 minutes.   

Dylan Bailey is a level five referee in Hassocks, West Sussex who has used sin bins since he started climbing the refereeing ladder in 2021.   

On whether Sin bins can be an effective tool for referees Dylan said: “If you have sensible players on the pitch, they will recognise the threat a sin bin has, and that makes it effective.”  

Not only do referees feel that sin bins can be an effective tool, but grassroots coaches have acknowledged their success.   

In a survey conducted by the FA 80% of grassroots coaches believe sin bins have had a positive impact on the game.  

 The survey revealed that coaches believe that sin bins have been effective as it has helped the way referees communicate with players. In addition, players are aware the impact the sin bin could have on their team meaning they’re less likely to hassle the referee on every decision.  

The FA’s survey has outlined that 77% of grassroots coaches believe use of sin bins in grassroots leagues has improved players’ behaviour towards referees.  

 However, the FA’s annual Grassroots disciplinary review for the 23/24 season saw an increase in misconduct cases from referees.  

In the 2023/24 season there were 87 charges relating to assault/attempted assault on a match official which is an increase of 32%.  

The review also outlined that cautions for dissent by word or action towards referees has got worse. The FA revealed there has been a 9.3% increase in the use of sin bins with 36,129.   

Howard Webb the Chief Refereeing officer of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has been adamant since he was appointed in 2022 that he wants to address participant behaviour.  

At the start of the 2023/24 season the PGMOL and the FA sent out directives to referees who officiate on the Premier League all the way down to the tenth tier. This was done as part of Howard Webb’s plan to tackle participant behaviour to make refereeing more appealing to future generations. 

Howard Webb’s attempt to tackle participant behaviour has been prevalent in the Premier League. In the 2023/24 season there were 173 cautions for dissent compared to 79 in the entirety of the 2022/23 season. 

In a video published on the PGMOL YouTube channel outlining the new game-wide participant charter, Webb said: “Over a period of time we’ve seen a decline in some behaviour both on the field of play and in the technical areas.” 

He added: “This has had knock on effects we’ve seen copycat behaviours at grassroots levels and that’s resulted in people either quitting or not choosing to take up the whistle.”