During experimental trials on third-level football’s latest rule changes last year, it was discovered that passing back to goalkeepers significantly decreased. The trials, which took place in the later part of the year in the Freshers Division One Football League, showed an average of 6.6 passes to the goalkeeper per game. This was a sharp decrease from the 23 passes per game average in the preceding year’s All-Ireland senior football championship.
The GAA’s SCPR formulated the experimental rules. One dictated that a kickout must cross the near 45-metre line before a defending team member can engage with the ball. Violating this rule resulted in a throw-in on the defender’s 20-metre line in front of the scoring area. Additionally, backward playing of free kicks, sideline kicks, and marks between two 20-metre lines was prohibited. Breaking this rule led to a throw-in where the infringement took place.
Gaelic Stats, a leading firm specialising in Gaelic games analysis, was hired to gather data and generate a report on these trial rules. Their analysis was based on 13 games played between October and December. They recorded 86 passes to the goalkeepers across these games, averaging 6.6 per match.
Recently, there has been a surge in passes back to the goalkeeper at the intercounty level. The average count rose from 12.5 in the 2022 All-Ireland SFC to 23.1 per game in the championship held the following year.
The trial rule which banned backward movement of frees, sidelines, and marks between two 20-metre lines surely influenced this decrease in goalkeeper passes during the college fixtures. Add to this, the fact that Freshers team players and management were in the early stages of establishing their team dynamics and strategies.
There is, however, a limitation to the report. The comparison between Freshers football and senior intercounty game is hardly fair. After all, college matches last 60 minutes in contrast with senior intercounty matches that span 70 minutes.
An absence of specific statistics on Freshers football led Gaelic Stats to utilise its intercounty records of 619 games from 2011 to 2023 for a comparative study. In the realm of American football, an Irish player may soon have a chance to prove themselves.
As part of a trial experiment, of the 508 restarts studied, 97% exceed the 45-metre line, as per the new rule stipulations. However, 17 kickouts failed to achieve this, shedding light on a potential issue with the new rule.
A game in October between Ulster University and Queens University at Jordanstown, plagued by constant high winds, saw the referee dispense with the necessity for kickouts to go beyond the 45-metre line. As a result, nine short kickouts, all of which fell within the 45-metre line, were gained by the team initiating the kickout – in clear violation of the established trial rule. These nine instances are part of the 17 failed long-distance kickouts.
However, despite this, 97% of kickouts did clear the 45-metre line. In the 2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, by contrast, 51% of kickouts fell within the 45-metre line.
A mere 36% of kickouts in this championship were contested. Of the 508 restarts in the 13 Freshers games examined, the kickstarting team won possession 58% of the time. In the 2023 All-Ireland Championship, the success rate was much higher at 81%, largely due to the high proportion of shorter restarts.
The experimental games, with their requirement for longer kickouts, saw more competition for control in the middle third, with 72% of restarts challenged. This was a stark contrast to the 2023 All-Ireland Championship, where only 36% of kickouts were contested. Meanwhile, GAA players continue to demonstrate that age is a mere number.
The findings of the report revealed that when a team was in control of the ball, typically, two defenders were retained within the 45 for their kickouts; this was true for 36% of all kickouts. On the contrary, the offensive team generally stationed a single forward, accounting for 42% of kickouts, within the rival 45. At times, however, none were deployed, as was the case in 27% of kickouts, with players instead assigned to more distant locations on the pitch to provide additional support at breaks from challenged restart offensives.
Predominantly due to the rule prohibiting ball’s backward movement from frees, sidelines, and marks amid the dual 20-metre lines, the majority of kick passes, around 84%, proceeded forward out of the total 1,383 examined during the experimental games. In comparison, the 2023 All-Ireland SFC saw 65% of kick passes advancing forward.
Similar to the study on the hurling regulations tested late in the previous year, the football trial’s analysis currently resides with the Central Council for evaluation. They will determine if these rules require further experimentation. Concurrently, a new Football Review Committee, led by Jim Gavin, has been established by GAA president Jarlath Burns.