NEW REF POWER TO CUT DISSENT
Sin bins will be rolled out at Steps 5 & 6
SIN BINS are to be introduced at Steps 5 and 6 next season in a bid to cut out player dissent.
Under IFAB rules, the measure has been trialled in grassroots football since last season and extended to 60 leagues this year with the original plan to widen the introduction to all Step 7 and lower next season.
But now it has been revealed by a number of Step 5 and 6 leagues that the FA have decided to fast track the use of sin bins at the level to act as an instant punishment for bad behaviour.
The FA are yet to confirm the next phase of the process but writing in The
NLP at the start of the season in their exclusive Football Matters column, Head of Judicial Services Mark Ives said the pilot scheme of introducing tenminute sin bins had been a big success.
Impact
In the pilot, players didn’t receive the usual yellow card fine with the in-game action deemed sufficient punishment.
“We went into it with a very open mind,” he explained. “We didn’t know what to expect in terms of what success would look like.
“We found, from a pure statistical point of view across those 31 leagues, a 38 per cent reduction in dissent compared to the previous year. That’s significant.
“It also showed a reduction in sendings-off because invariably what happens is someone gets a caution for dissent, it doesn’t get dealt with in a way that has an immediate impact on them – which is the intention of the sin bin – so that behaviour continues to deteriorate.
“We need to remember the purpose of the sin bin is to have an immediate impact on the player and to change their behaviour there and then.”
Mr Ives concluded: “From the FA’s point of view, we are absolutely delighted with the support given by the 31 leagues last season.
“They’ve helped shape a major change in the game. They approached it with an open mind. I would ask those trying it out for the first time this year to do exactly the same.”