2023-24 season | What's new?
With the 2023-24 season set to get under way, and just hours to go until Swansea City kick-off the campaign at home against Birmingham City, we take a look at some of the new things to look out for this term.
NINE PLAYERS NAMED ON THE BENCH
In a continuation of the 2022-23 rules which now allow sides to make five subs during a league fixture, Championship sides have voted to allow nine players to be named on the bench.
Throughout the 2023-24 season, Championship managers and head coaches will have the choice of nine substitutes named on the team sheet, with five able to enter the pitch.
Teams will only have three opportunities to make substitutions during play, while there will be an additional opportunity at half-time.
BALL IN-PLAY TIMES
The EFL has joined the Premier League and PGMOL in its commitment to enhance the ball in-play time for the upcoming season.
The intention is the exact time lost to game events will be added on. This differs to previous seasons in which a nominal amount of time was added.
Game events include: Goals and celebrations, substitutions, injuries and treatment time, penalties (encompassing the moment from the offence to the moment the kick is taken), red cards (encompassing the moment from the offence to the moment the player leaves the field).
Essentially, added time will be awarded in a similar manner to that used at the Qatar World Cup.
TREATMENT OF PLAYERS
Also in line with the above changes to improve ball in-play times, players who are injured will be required to leave the field for treatment. Players will have to leave the pitch for no less than 30 seconds.
If a player refuses treatment, and it is felt that a teammate is delaying the restart they will be issued a yellow card. You can read more about restarts below.
Exceptions to the rule: a goalkeeper is injured, players from the same team have collided, a severe injury has occurred, a player is injured in an incident in which the opponent has been sent off, a penalty has been awarded and the injured player will be the taker.
MULTI-BALL SYSTEM AND RESTARTS
This season will see the re-introduction of the multi-ball system, which was used when games were played behind closed doors during the Covid-19 pandemic. This means footballs will be readily available around the pitch and there is no longer a requirement for the same ball to be used.
Match officials will also be taking a more robust approach to dealing with clear, deliberate actions which delay the restart. For example: delaying the restart of play and failing to respect the required distance at free-kicks.
As part of a drive to create quicker restarts, footballers will no longer be allowed to use a towel to dry the football before taking a throw-in.
OTHER LAW CHANGES
Denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity
In the event a player commits and offence within their own penalty area which denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity, a yellow card will be issued if there was an attempt to play the ball, a red card will be shown if the offence did not involve an attempt to play the ball.
Offside
This summer has seen additional clarification brought to the guidelines around “deliberate play” by a defender.
Deliberate play is now defined as when a player is in control of the ball and has the possibility of: passing to a teammate, gaining possession, or clearing the ball.
If the player is considered to be in control then the attacker in the offside position who benefits is not offside.
Participant behaviour
A football-wide approach to participant behaviour is being brought in for the 2023-24 season. Under the new approach, match officials will be empowered to take more robust action alongside a consistent application of the existing measures when participant behaviour falls below expected standards, and The FA will apply stronger supplementary disciplinary action.
Captains are expected to take responsibility for their teammates, encouraging them to play fairly and show respect towards the match officials and their decisions.
Where match officials are confronted, surrounded, or their personal space invaded by multiple players, at least one player will receive a card.
The FA could also take further action against the club involved, with increased financial penalties for serious and repeated offenders.
Also, as part of these changes, managers and head coaches who are shown a red card during a game will no longer be permitted to conduct post-match media duties.
FAN BEHAVIOUR
To challenge the totally unacceptable presence of football tragedy abuse, for season 2023-24 regulation changes and tough new measures have been introduced which will see people who are found to have committed offences face stadium bans and potential criminal prosecution.
The issue is focused on offensive chanting, gesturing and displaying offensive messages based on football-related tragedies, which causes significant distress to the victims’ families, survivors and affected-club supporters. Football authorities, supporter groups and law enforcement organisations, including the police and CPS, have united to crack down on fans who participate in this vile form of abuse.
In addition to bans and criminal sanctions, a range of in-stadium, in-classroom and online resources will be rolled out under the ‘Love Football Protect the Game’ banner, to educate adults and children alike about the hurt tragedy chanting causes. Ground regulations have also been updated to incorporate references to tragedy chanting.
The game will also continue its efforts to combat dangerous, illegal and unwelcome behaviour off the pitch, be it in the stands or online. Last season a host of new measures were introduced by authorities which saw enhanced sanctions applied for people identified entering the pitch, using pyros, taking drugs to games, throwing objects or engaging in discriminatory abuse.