A plethora of new rules designed to speed up the game and increase the amount of time the ball is in play will be rolled out in the Premier League this weekend. Lawmakers want to see goal kicks, throw-ins and substitutions executed more quickly in the hope that fans who have purchased tickets or TV subscriptions obtain greater value for money. They also want to put a stop to goalkeepers faking injuries so their coach can call a tactical time-out, and inevitably, the scope of video assistant referees (VARs) has increased even further.

In the Premier League last season, the ball was in play for 55 minutes and 22 seconds per game on average, down 2.8 per cent from 2024-25. Time lost through extended goal celebrations, red cards, penalties, substitutions, injuries requiring treatment and VAR checks is measured accurately by the fourth official and in the VAR room, with allowance made at the end of each half. But referees were not previously asked to add on time for slow goal kicks and throw-ins unless the delay was so great that a yellow card resulted.

That will change this season. The new rules should work if applied and make more sense than stopping the clock every time the ball goes dead. Teams slow down the game to waste time, of course, but they also want to kill the tempo, especially when winning or playing away from home. Whether the changes endure is another question, as similar previous initiatives have quickly run into resistance from clubs who demand greater leniency. But the rules are written into the laws of the game, so they should sustain past September.

Goal Kicks and Throw-Ins: The Five-Second Countdown

Players are expected to keep moving so these restarts happen quickly. As soon as the referee suspects delaying tactics, they will blow the whistle. The team then has five seconds to return the ball into play. The referee will visually count down the final five seconds with a raised hand. If time expires, a throw is flipped to the other team, and a goal kick becomes a corner.

The grey area here is how long the referee waits before starting the countdown. If a team is winning 1-0 and there are only a few minutes remaining, it's easy to be tough. But how relaxed will officials be if the losing goalkeeper takes a drink, dries his gloves and taps a post before lining up a goal kick? Some will demand consistency, others will expect common sense. Someone will be unhappy either way.

Substitutions: Ten Seconds or Face the Consequences

Substitutes now have 10 seconds to leave the field at the nearest point. Time starts when the substitution board is shown. The referee will visually count down the final five seconds with a raised hand. If time expires, the player going off must still leave the field — and the incoming substitute must then wait for at least one minute, and can only come on at a stoppage in play.

On the face of it, this is the toughest of the new rules because the referee has no leeway: the clock starts ticking from the moment the substitution board goes up. Ten seconds may seem a reasonable allowance for a professional footballer to run halfway across a pitch, but it is a big change from previous seasons, when a typical single substitution took three times as long.

The referee's visual countdown may prove worthless if the player trotting off has his back to the official, which will invariably be the case. The new rule is especially punitive because the sub will have to stand on the sideline for one minute, then wait until the ball goes out of play before they can come on — a major incentive for teams to hurry up.

There are two exemptions that clubs will no doubt seek to exploit. Subbed players are expected to leave by the nearest point, but they will be allowed more time if they are on the far side from the technical areas and the referee agrees it is not safe for them to walk around the perimeter. The other exception relates to injured players, who will be given as long as it takes to leave the field — a loophole so large it must be visible from the moon.

If there is more than one substitution at a stoppage, the 10-second countdown begins when the fourth official displays the final two numbers on the board. There is a theoretical possibility that a team taking too long over five simultaneous substitutions could be forced to play with six men for a while, which could be fun.

Injured Goalkeepers: Tactical Timeouts Curtailed

Tactical timeouts became commonplace last year, to the exasperation of opposing teams, their fans and neutrals everywhere. The practice developed after some clever coach realised that they could create space for a tactical rejig and pep talk if their goalkeeper demanded treatment — and there was no downside because the goalie stayed on the field.

The new rule should put a stop to such nonsense. When medics attend to a goalkeeper on the field, a nominated team-mate must leave the field for one minute when play restarts. Few coaches will want to risk going down to 10 players for a whole minute, which should naturally discourage the practice. There are caveats in the wording, however: treatment proceeds as before if the keeper is fouled or suffers an impact injury requiring immediate attention. Blood injuries are also exempt.

Injured Outfield Players: Sideline Stays Doubled

Under the new rule, whenever the referee stops play because a player appears to be injured, or at a stoppage where the referee calls on medical staff to assess an injury, any outfield player involved must leave the field for a minute. This tweak doubles the amount of time a player is obliged to wait on the sidelines, from 30 seconds to one minute.

Many clubs previously thought it was worth the risk of playing one short for half a minute, given the benefit of killing the game for longer than that. Hopefully, only those genuinely in need of treatment will stay down from now on.

VAR Checks for Second Yellow Cards: Mission Creep Continues

The VAR can now check second yellow cards. Only factual errors can be corrected, not subjective decisions. The mission creep of the VAR system continues apace — straight red cards have always come under its jurisdiction, so it may feel logical to add second yellows given their consequences.

For now, video officials will be limited to categorical errors, such as a second caution given to a player for handball when replays prove the ball hit them in the face. Fair enough. The risk is that expectation will build so that 'soft' second yellows become reviewable. And what about a player whose first caution was plainly wrong, but who then receives a second? It feels like another case of slippery slope syndrome.

Whether these changes endure remains to be seen, but the laws are now written into the game's rulebook. The real test begins this weekend.