Last week it was announced that sin bin rules would be implemented at step 5 and step 6 of the English non-league. This includes the Northern League.
Sin bins have been tested this season in lower leagues and are expected to be used in the Northern League for the upcoming 2019/20 season.
According to the FA, the sin bin rule would give the referee the power to temporarily dismiss a player off the pitch for a total of ten minutes for a yellow card offence. Red cards would still have the same function of sending a player off for the rest of the game.
These new rules could potentially change the game and how players behave on the football pitch. This could see unacceptable behaviour from players in the Northern League be stamped out with the possibility of a player being sent off for a temporary amount of time more likely to affect the course of a match.
This could also change the impact of how teams approach a game. Picture this: a team is 2-0 up and comfortably in control against a struggling opposition. During the game, one of the players from the winning team is sent off for 10 minutes after a bad challenge. Suddenly, the mood of the game is changed and the losing team seize the opportunity to get back in the game and go out all attack for 10 minutes.
Ultimately, this would make the game more interesting as it could prevent watching a game fade out after a side has conceded the result. It also raises other questions. For example, how many players can be sin binned at a time? The amount of players on a pitch at one time could change rapidly throughout a game.
Are you excited for the drama that could be attached to a Northern League match with sin bin rules or are you concerned how much of an impact referees are going to have on Northern League games and how they might damage its quality of entertainment.
Northern League Talk Blog 