What one rule change would you make to football?

I'd like to see radical changes in school age football, with each professional team being allocated a equal sized local zone from which they pick their young talent. They each get first dibs on all players in their zone, but the youngsters can move on to other clubs if the local club sign off on not wanting them. No money involved until they reach 17.

It stops premiership hoovering up all the talent, allows lower league clubs to improve their squads and feeds money back down the league ladder if premiership teams then want to buy them later in their careers.

 

Any player to be allowed to handle the ball in the six yard box.

 

A comedic point given, if you get player carried off after taking a full blooded shot straight in the nads. Two added if he's interviewed on the stretcher and comes over sounding like Joe Pasquale

 

1, I’d actually make it a contact sport again

2, a game against any warnock side can be called off at the last minute for any innocuous reason

3. Ban Agents

 

Like @PONTERED I'd change the obstruction rule, specifically by modifying the emboldened clause from the definition below to refer to actually playing the ball rather than simply being within playing distance of it:

If you're not playing the ball then IMHO you shouldn't be allowed to the prevent the opposition from doing so. Keep the game flowing.

 

No team from sheffield allowed to shoot at goal or have a corner or throw if any of these happen the other team gets awarded a penalty.

 

A goalkeeper has to take a deadball kick from the side of goal that the ball went out. And within 15 secs. And can't back-kick the posts in a comedy effort to get rid of nonexistent mud.

And when a player is subbed, the clock stops when he starts his walk off, and if he isn't off the pitch in 15 seconds he is tasered by the 4th official.

Time wasting basically. Or conning the paying public out of the intended purchase purpose.

With modern technology, the refs watch should be synced with the scoreboard / screen so the whole ground knows what's happening. High enough numbers to see on our 32" Samsung in the corner.

 

The distance in the rule should be irrelevant and opens up the referees using their opinion.
Rules must be rules not an opinion of a rule. I understand lots of the game is about opinion but obstruction is an easy one to stamp out. As is shirt pulling but we seem to have gone back to ragging players all over at set pieces!

 

And any player caught diving should be made to stand in the corner and watch a 30 second clip of "Rugby's biggest tackles" whilst being sarcastically applauded by the other 21 players and 4 sides of the ground. Then he gets sent off whilst the crowd light mobile phones and sing "All by myself" in Take Me Out stylee. Then they have to publicly announce which charity gets their weeks salary.

Banning players from diving doesn't hurt players, hitting them in the pocket does.

 

Yes it would mean that big city clubs would still rule. Also if you were a fantastic player born in a country area you’d have no chance of ever playing at a high level.

 

But you'd still get Chelsea identifying a Geordie kid and paying his family to uproot and move sticks to London.

 

The penalty rule in general is outdated , minor infringements inside the box leading to a penalty that can decide a game of football is wrong . Its been 12 yards from the year dot when the ball was a 5lb lump of wet leather . I'd move the penalty spot to 15 yards then it would be an even contest between the taker and keeper .

 

If you look at my statement in detail I'm sure there are lots of loop holes, but it was only intended as a generic idea, not a specifuc rule book on how it would work.

If it ever got off the ground (which it won't), I'm sure those loopholes could be closed down easily.

 

Would it be a anti-climax tho' ,been given a goal rather than seeing the ball hit the back of the net ? . Whatever happened to the indirect free kick inside the box ? .I'd like that to be re-introduced but id make it a direct free kick without a wall .

 

Totally agree, but it's one of those well meaning ideas like doping in sport ......... the clubs will always be one step ahead of the changes (honourable though they are) and will have the money to overcome any legalities.

 

Refs should clamp down on players refusing to retreat 10 yards when a free kick's been given. Players stand on the ball, kick it away or keep hold of it to prevent the opposition taking a free kick quickly. Refs do nothing about this but I'd like to see yellows given in order to keep the game flowing.

 

The only rule I would change is that clubs are not allowed to charge fans more than 15 pounds for a game.

 

Another time wasting bugbear of mine this. However, quite often it is the ref who adds to wasting time. It’s tgeir major time in the spotlight with foam, ridiculously theatrical strides,getting himself in position then waiting a bit before he blows his whistle. It’s incredible how much longer a free kick takes compared to a corner!

 

A salary cap, like the NFL.