Prior to the 2024–2025 season, Premier League executives have made a number of significant adjustments.
Three regulation modifications have been made by the Premier League in advance of the upcoming season. On Friday, Manchester United and Fulham will play the first game of the new Premier League season at Old Trafford.
In contrast to previous campaigns, there aren’t many new rules for supporters to learn. Despite these minor changes, it’s crucial to comprehend how extra time is determined, what substitutes are permitted to do, and when the multiball system applies.
Substitution
The Premier League upped the number of allowed substitutes per game from three to five more than four years ago. Other relevant regulations, though, have taken longer to catch up.
Managers could only send three players out to warm up down the touchline at a time until 2024–2025. This has now been increased to five, which is the most players that a team can activate at once.
Extra time
In a recent attempt to reduce time wastage, referees have added stoppage time to the conclusion of games. In the first half of the previous season, that translated into an average gain of over 12 minutes over the course of both halves, which was a considerable increase above the average of seven minutes in the five previous campaigns.
Now, the Premier League has made a move that will decrease that number once more. Starting in 2024–2025, referees will only add stoppage time when a goal celebration lasts more than thirty seconds. This will give both sides ample opportunity to take their starting positions.
According to the Premier League’s official website, “this change may result in a significant drop in stoppage time this season, given that the average number of goals scored per match last season was 3.28.”
Multiball guidelines
In order to keep the pace of Premier League games quick, fifteen balls are placed on cones all over the field. Players are urged to locate a replacement ball from a cone if a ball disappears from play and cannot be immediately retrieved, instead of waiting for one of the ball attendants to bring it back.
The original ball must be placed back into an empty cone by the ball assistant. This season, there is an exception that enables ball assistants positioned behind the goal to pass the ball back to a goalkeeper who is taking the restart.
Any manager or coach who tries to stop play by kicking the ball away or holding it in the technical area will still receive a straight red card.
