Murphy and Review Committee could see new rules introduced as early as 2025 league

The GAA’s Football Review committee which former All-Ireland winning captain and Donegal legend Michael Murphy is a part of, believes that any rule changes brought forward by the committee could be trialled as early as next year's league and championship. 

Outlined in their strategic plan spanning two years, the committee intends to engage extensively with stakeholders in the forthcoming months. Additionally, they've initiated a public survey to gather input.  

Gavin emphasised that any proposed rule modifications would undergo scrutiny at a Central Council meeting in early November, followed by evaluation at a Special Congress on December 7.  

This timeline allows county teams seven weeks to adapt before the onset of the 2025 league. 

Following the trial-and-error tactic, a report will be put together to see what worked and what didn’t throughout the 2025 season. 

It was noted that it was imperative that any prospective rule changes would undergo trials in a competitive environment. 

In addition to Murphy and former Dublin manager Jim Gavin, who is chair of the committee, features other distinguished figures such as Eamonn Fitzmaurice, James Horan, Colm Collins, Malachy O'Rourke, and Colm Nally who said they’ve already been working extensively towards the goal of ‘making Gaelic Games the most enjoyable amateur games in the world’. 

Gavin highlighted the committee's rigorous process, which included eight meetings and a thorough review of pertinent reports dating back to the 1971 McNamee Report, along with an assessment of the 2012-2014 Review Committee responsible for introducing the black card rule. 

Murphy joined the committee as far back as September when the National Player Development chief Jack Cooney, who was the Donegal assistant manager under Rory Gallagher, assembled the team of highly educated and experienced GAA personnel.