Rules changes for 2008

New rules seek to improve safety

New rules introduced by BAFA will promote greater safety on the sidelines at games.

The team area will be restricted to players and those wearing proper credentials. This will make it easier to keep unauthorised people away from the sideline. The credentials will also identify those people who are allowed on to the field during injury timeouts, thus lending extra safeguards to injured players. The age restrictions on individuals working as chain crew and ball boys will also be beefed up - no one under the age of 14 will be allowed to do those jobs.

On the field, the changes made last year to timing rules have been reversed. In college football in the USA they resulted in games becoming too short, so the NCAA have decided to go back to starting the clock when the ball is first legally touched in the field of play on a kickoff, and on the snap after a change of possession.

A 2007 change has been extended. Last year, a rule was introduced that the penalty for a few kicking team fouls could be enforced on the end of the subsequent return. This year, that change has been extended to virtually all kicking team fouls. This should reduce the number of rekicks that are necessary after fouls.

For many years in British American football, the kickoff spot has been determined according to the length of the field - that has changed. From now on, the kickoff spot will be the 30-yard line unless relocated by penalty. Also the penalty for a kickoff out of bounds will be increased from 30 to 35 yards.

The new rules also contain points of emphasis on such topics as sideline control, the protection of defenceless players, equipment, medical considerations (including precautions to avoid risk of MRSA), game management and celebrations.

Jim Briggs, Chairman of the BAFA Rules Committee. commented, "Undoubtedly the change that will have most impact on teams will be the need to get their authorised sideline personnel properly credentialled. However, we have designed the system to make that very easy to do, and a team could at a pinch meet the requirements with three sheets of coloured card and a few safety pins. Identifying who is allowed in the team area will make keeping the field safe for everyone much easier."

Full list of rules changes for 2008

Full 2008 rulebook