At its latest annual general meeting, IFAB announced a raft of new measures, trials and changes to the game's laws. Among the most interesting is the approval of trials for referee body cams. The aim is to reduce referee abuse, but we think there is also debate about their use for filming the referees’ point of view for TV audiences, such as Red Bull trialled.

Body cams were previously explicitly banned by IFAB (which makes the RB Salzburg experiment even more curious…). Check out law 5.5 on referee equipment:

Referees and other ‘on-field’ match officials are prohibited from wearing jewellery or any other electronic equipment, including cameras.

So could we see Premier League referees wearing a camera any time soon?

Grassroots trial

In England the FA has already vocalised support for the concept of giving grassroots referees the ability to record abuse. A trial of this sort would enable referees to provide evidence that would enable action to be taken against coaches, teams, players and parents who abuse referees.

At REFSIX, we know that many of our users suffer from this kind of abuse on a weekly basis, so we welcome the news of trials. We’re also keen to understand whether the footage could be used to aid referees’ development. For instance, if a referee used REFSIX and a bodycam during a game they could use our video tool to sync up on-field decisions. This would provide advanced analysis to grassroots referees that are normally only available to elites. Currently, this isn’t being considered as part of the trials.

One thing that will need to be part of any trial is whether referees feel comfortable wearing the technology, especially if it restricts movement in any way. Referees are already potentially using comms kits, and buzzer flags… will the new kit be too much? How will referees feel walking out onto the pitch with a camera strapped to them?

Would you wear a body cam if given the opportunity? Join the discussion on Facebook.

Changes to substitutions

One of the other major changes announced by IFAB was making permanent the 5 substitutes rule that came in during the Covid pandemic. This comes with an increase in the total number of substitutes allowed on a team sheet from 12 to 15. This makes a referee’s job even tougher, with more admin, and more time spent managing subs.

Luckily, REFSIX has the answer! Our app lets you focus on the game by ensuring team sheets and substitutions are easy. You’ll also be able to review the game afterwards to make match reports easier. To download the app for free, check us out on Google Play and Apple store. Our app works on desktop, mobile and most major smartwatches. Check out our recommended watches here.