I’m going to have a little fun with this one. Whether it be practical or the most far-fetched idea possible, I’ve brainstormed some ways global football could attract new fans with some drastic changes. To be honest, I really just want to see a game played with two balls.
1. TWO BALLS
This would be the perfect chaos for football. Every other rule stays the same, except two balls are actively being played throughout the 90 minutes. It’s a defender’s worst nightmare - you must account for players making runs based on either ball that might be played. It would also be television’s worst nightmare - would the cameras have to zoom out to show the entire field at all times?
While we know this will never happen, I would love to see an exhibition game played with two balls just so we could get an idea of what it’s like. It would completely alter strategy in a fun way, and goals would be more frequent, shutting up the “soccer is boring” haters.
2. Extend the Playing Field beyond the Goal
Ever watch hockey or lacrosse? Being able to field the ball behind the goal adds a whole different dynamic to the game. Defenders would have to account for players playing the ball behind the net and/or making curling runs around either goalpost.
There would be a debate on whether or not the goals would be moved closer to each other to make room for the extra space, or extend the field beyond the current 120-yard length (I imagine the former would be far easier for stadiums to adapt).
While this will likely never happen either, I believe this is the most practical rule change football could make. I can’t think of a downside to this format other than people being resistant to change.
3. No Offside (Or altering the Offside laws)
Tired of VAR ruling out goals because someone was a toenail offside? Let’s get rid of offside altogether! Some may argue that cherry-picking would increase, but defenders would have to account for players behind them. Teams would have to play much deeper, but this would likely result in more goals, and who doesn’t want more goals?
Alternatively, offside rules could be altered to change tactics. Taking one more page out of lacrosse’s playbook, there could be a limit as to how many players are on one side of the field at a time. For example, if a wing-back were to make a run up the entire field, a midfielder or striker on the same team would have to stay back on their defending side of the field to counter out the number of players on a certain end.
4. Unlimited Substitutions/Players can Come back in
It is kind of wild that a sport that requires so much running only allows for 3 substitutions throughout the entire game. While it does add importance on tactics and making sure you play the right starting 11, allowing for more than three subs may increase the quality of play, especially late in games.
A more practical version of this would be to add an emergency injury substitution. Players may fake injuries, but there is a big issue with players not being subbed off with concussions simply because the manager doesn’t want to waste a substitution (Example: Loris Karius in the 2018 Champions League Final). American football is taking strides towards limiting concussions while soccer hasn’t made an impact yet.
5. Goalkeepers Can Use their Hands anywhere
As recently as this past weekend, Liverpool’s goalkeeper Alisson was given a red card (deservedly) for using his hands outside the penalty box to stop a breakaway. Imagine if that would’ve been legal? This would be a funny rule change, but it could create some fun chaos. Imagine if a keeper ran up to the other goal for a corner kick and scored by punching it in.
What is a rule change you would make to the game?
Author: Living in Southern California, Robert Sweeney has been a fan of soccer since he played as a young child. Since then, he’s become a diehard Tottenham and US National Team fan. Rob enjoys writing about the impact soccer has had on his life in hopes that it betters others as well. Twitter: @robsweeney11