Football
Reuters 5y

FA sets out use of sin bins in grassroots football

How temporary dismissals, popularly known as "sin bins," will be introduced across English grassroots football have been explained by the Football Association (FA).

The law change allows referees to dismiss a player from the pitch for 10 minutes, with the FA saying it saw a 38% reduction in dissent following a testing phase.

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For the first time, sin-bins will be introduced across for the 2019-20 season. However, this only applies through to Step 5, which covers county-level football. It is designed to reduce the abuse suffered by referees in football, and at present there are no plans to introduce it further into semiprofessional or professional football.  

"The FA successfully piloted sin bins during the 2017-18 season, and then extended this to a total of 31 leagues throughout the 2018-19 season as part of its commitment to improve the match day experience for all," a statement from the FA read.

"After gathering positive feedback from players, referees and coaches, sin bins will now be rolled out across all leagues at grassroots level in a bid to increase participation and to continue improving match day experiences.

"The mandatory rule change will be implemented up to Step five of the National League System, and Tier three and below in women's football."

Players who show dissent will be shown a yellow card as the referee points to the touchline, indicating a player has been sent to the sin bin. Two such temporary dismissals will result in the player being sent off.

"Dissent is a key part of the game that needs to be tackled, and our pilot phase has proved that sin bins work well," FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.

"They allow referees to address incidents of dissent quickly and effectively. The trial showed a huge impact on behaviour.

"We want to roll this out to the whole game and make it more enjoyable for everyone."

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