Sin bins to be rolled-out across grassroots football in Wales from next season

Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

Following a ‘successful trial’, temporary dismissals, better known as sin bins, will be rolled-out across grassroots senior and youth football starting from next season.

The trial was brought in at the start of the 2023/24 season to punish those who would direct offensive, insulting, or abusive language towards referees.

If a player is shown a yellow card for this offence, they must leave the pitch for ten minutes.

Both the South Wales Alliance League and Gwent Premier League have been trial leagues this season, where the likes of Caerphilly Athletic, Aber Valley, Cwrt Rawlin, and Nelson Cavaliers play.

According to the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the trial has so far included nearly 1,300 games, and seen the “frequency of dissent cautions” reduce by 34% compared to the previous season.

Red cards for the same offence have also come down by 32% compared to last season.

However, national league competitions, such as the Cymru leagues, Adran leagues, and Ardal leagues will not feature the temporary dismissals rule.

The new rule change will not apply to national cup competitions such as the Welsh Cup and Amateur Trophy either.

Junior grassroots football will generally not have temporary dismissals, but the FAW has said leagues do have the option to trial them.

Noel Mooney, CEO of the FAW, said: “Introducing temporary dismissals is a significant step on our journey to making football the most inclusive, accessible and successful sport in Cymru. That means creating safe and enjoyable environments for all participants in football, including match officials.”

Chairman of the FAW community game board, Mark Adams, said: “Grassroots football is growing at an incredible rate in Wales. The more people there are playing football, the more referees we need to ensure a fair playing environment.

“However, dissent and abuse towards match officials has been identified as a key reason for referees leaving the game which is contributing to a shortage. 

“By introducing temporary dismissals, we are confident that dissent and abuse towards match officials will be reduced and we’ll therefore see an increase in the number of referees available to help football participation grow.”