The report of the Football Review Committee will be launched next Monday in Croke Park. It will be broken into two parts, the first exclusively concerned with the playing rules and its recommendations will go to next year’s annual congress.

The second report will be launched in the new year and will concentrate on competition structures in the senior intercounty championships.

FDC chair Eugene McGee explained the thinking behind the splitting of the report: “First of all we hadn’t time to draw up two reports and there’s an element of urgency about the playing rules because they have to be ready for congress and we’d expect a number of them to be ready for implementation immediately if accepted.”

Next year’s congress will be held at the earlier time of late March rather than April and depending on the fate of the FDC motions, some of the new rules would be in force for next year’s championship.

Disrupting the debate

“The other reason we decided to hold back,” according to McGee, “was that the focus on championship reforms would have disrupted the debate on rule changes. We’re still going through submissions on championship structures and after considering what’s available we’ll draw up part two.”

It’s a matter of record that the committee has received numerous expressions of concern about cynical, foul play and that some of the rules proposals will concentrate on addressing that area with suggestions such as penalties for cumulative yellow cards under consideration.

Other aspects of the game that are likely to be addressed include the introduction of a mark in order to reward clean catches. It remains to be seen whether as fundamental a change as this would be proposed for adoption in next year’s championship or scheduled for later implementation.

Meanwhile, Donegal have accepted the GAA Management Committee decision to order the county to refund its clubs the €5 levy placed on All-Ireland tickets last September. The decision was taken last weekend.

The GAA will have a sponsor for its All-Ireland post-primary schools competitions. Sportswear supplier Masita Ireland is to sponsor the Hogan and Croke Cups as well as the Vocational Schools competitions for 2012/’13.