NEW SEASON, NEW RULES FOR WALSALL MONDAY LEAGUE!
With the new season, will come some rule amendments which have been fully listed below. The rule amendments have been made after carefully listening to customer feedback across the country, and we have begun rolling out these rules UK wide, and the feedback we have had so far has been excellent. We want to limit the restrictions in the game for players and referees alike, to ensure a more free-flowing game for everyone with less stoppages. Please read below for a full breakdown of the changes.
2. Goalkeepers can also now use their feet to play. With this in mind, if a goalkeeper receives a back pass from a team mate, they CANNOT pick the ball up at any time; they will instead be required to distribute the ball with their feet instead as per normal football rules. If the goalkeeper picks the ball up from a back pass from a team mate, a penalty kick will be awarded to the attacking team.
3. With the above rule in mind, we have elected to scrap the rule where the ball is not able to go straight back to the keeper if he plays it to a teammate. This was always in place to stop time wasting from happening, but now that all players can go in the area etc. and keepers have to use their feet in this scenario, this will not matter.
4. Goalkeepers will be able to distribute the ball overarm as well as underarm, meaning the ball can also go above head height from the keeper's distribution. Please note though that the goalkeeper CANNOT kick the ball out of their hands at any point, as this would cause us to lose footballs over the fences. If a goalkeeper has the ball in his hands then they must either throw the ball out, or put the ball on the floor to distribute.
5. From a Goal Kick (if the ball goes out of play behind the goal for example) then the keeper is able to either throw or kick the ball out from the ground, whichever they choose to do.
6. Goalkeepers will be required to wear a DIFFERENT COLOURED TOP to that of their team mates at all times, in order that our referees can differentiate him from the outfield players. If you do not have a different coloured top, you will be required to wear a bib which the referee will provide you.
7. All set pieces will now be DIRECT, meaning that you can shoot from a corner kick or free kick directly if you wish to. Defending players will still need to be a minimum of 2 yards from the ball.
8. Finally, although we are changing the above rules to make games more like 11 a side football, please note that NO SLIDE TACKLES will be permitted as per our current rules.
These changes have been made in order to open the game up and make it more enjoyable for all participants. We have introduced these into over 60% of our leagues so far and have had excellent feedback from players and officials alike.
If you have any queries on the above then please don't hesitate to contact me, otherwise we wish your team the best of luck for the season ahead!