Are you ready for the new season? Stay ahead by understanding all the Law changes coming into effect for 2025/26.
Durham FA is hosting an online pre-season workshop to discuss these amendments in detail, with video clip examples, important pre-season messages, and a live Q&A session to answer your questions.
🗓️ Workshop Details
Date: Monday 14th July 2025
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Online via Microsoft Teams
👉 Join the Workshop Here
📝 Key Law Changes for 2025/26
⚠️ Law 3 – Only the Captain Rule
Competitions can now implement a rule to stop players surrounding the referee. This creates a 4.5m zone around the referee where only the captain(s) can approach to communicate.
✅ Players entering this area will be cautioned for dissent and sin-binned.
👉 Read Full IFAB Procedure Here
🔍 Check with your league to see if they are implementing this rule this season.
🧤 Law 5/12 – Goalkeeper Possession
A corner kick will now be awarded if a goalkeeper controls the ball with their hands/arms for more than 8 seconds inside their penalty area before releasing it.
✔️ The referee will decide when control begins and will visually count down the last five seconds with a raised hand.
⚽ Law 8 – Drop Ball Changes
- If play was stopped inside the penalty area, the ball is dropped for the defending goalkeeper.
- If stopped outside the penalty area, the referee drops it for the team that would have gained possession, if clear. Otherwise, it is dropped for the team that last touched it.
👉 This ensures fairer restarts when play is stopped.
🎯 Law 9 – Ball in/out of Play
If a team official, substitute, or temporarily off-field player touches a ball that is clearly leaving the field of play, it results in an indirect free kick, with no disciplinary sanction, unless there are persistent infringements.
🔗 Full Law Changes
For full details of all amendments, visit the IFAB Laws of the Game website:
👉 IFAB Law Changes – Latest
💡 Don’t Miss Out!
This workshop is a fantastic opportunity to:
✅ Understand the law changes clearly
✅ Ask questions directly to Durham FA
✅ Start your season confidently
We encourage all referees to attend. Book your place today!
