Premier League ball boys and girls have been given strict instructions not to return the ball to players during matches. This new rule was put in place to prevent touchline clashes and to ensure that no team gains an unfair advantage. While some may argue that the rule change was brought on by specific incidents, such as the confrontation between Mark Robins and a ball boy during Coventry City’s FA Cup quarterfinal win against Wolves, the primary focus is on maintaining fairness and order during games.
In the past, ball assistants were responsible for collecting and returning balls to players on the field. However, concerns were raised about the potential for the home team to manipulate this system to their advantage. As a result, the Premier League decided to amend Rule L.35 of the Premier League Handbook, which governs the multi-ball system. Now, players are required to retrieve the ball from pitchside cones themselves when it goes out of play. The rule explicitly states that ball assistants can only place the ball on a vacant cone and cannot hand it directly to a player.
To minimize time-wasting and speed up the game, there will now be a total of 14 balls available on the side of the pitch – seven on each side. This is an increase of four balls from the previous system. Ball assistants have been instructed to quickly return balls to a vacant cone when they go out of play and to avoid standing near the ball cones. Additionally, they are required to position themselves behind pitchside advertising boards whenever possible.
The adjustment to the ball boys and girls’ guidelines is likely to have an impact on both players and teams. Players will need to be more proactive in retrieving the ball themselves, leading to potentially quicker gameplay. Teams will also need to adapt their strategies to the new system, as they can no longer rely on ball boys or girls to deliver the ball directly to them. This change puts more responsibility on the players themselves and aims to create a level playing field for all teams involved.
Overall, the decision to modify the guidelines for Premier League ball boys and girls reflects a commitment to fairness and efficiency in the game. By making players retrieve the ball from pitchside cones, the league hopes to eliminate any discrepancies in how the ball is returned to players. This change will undoubtedly have an impact on how matches are played and will require players and teams to adjust their approach accordingly.