Whilst given discretion whether to use the scheme for all cautions, or selected cautions, The FA chose to focus on matters of dissent, which amounted to 25 per cent of all cautions during the 2016/17 season and directly supports the Respect programme.

It is anticipated that the pilot scheme will deal with misconduct on the day, result in fewer cautions for dissent overall and improve match-day experiences, not only for referees, but for all involved in the game.

Football Administration Manager Matt Carpenter said:

“With a quarter of all cautions being for dissent this is clearly a problem within the game that needs to be addressed and hopefully the introduction of sin bins will help with this as when a player shows dissent there will be a direct and immediate consequence on the day.

It is pleasing that locally the Anglian Combination have been chosen as one of the pilot leagues as this will provide our Referees and Clubs with the opportunity to provide their feedback on the pilot.”

REGULATION AMENDMENTS

The 2017/18 season will also see a number of key Regulation amendments being implemented with a document below detailing these changes. It is very important that Clubs and Players familiarise themselves with the updates, particularly relating to suspension start dates, in preparation for the new season.

Should you have any questions regarding any of these changes please contact our Football Administration team on 01603 704050.