New clock and hooter system set to feature in Division 1 games only this weekend

The clock and hooter system will only be implemented for Division 1 matches during the first two rounds of the Allianz Football League, using a ‘count-up’ approach rather than the ‘count-down’ method originally proposed by the Football Review Committee (FRC).

This decision comes as several scoreboards nationwide lack the necessary software to facilitate a countdown. To ensure consistency across venues, the GAA opted for the more traditional count-up system.

The guidelines for this new timing system received approval from the GAA’s Central Council over the weekend. The system will debut at four Division 1 venues: Pearse Stadium in Salthill, marking its first floodlit competitive inter-county game for Galway and Armagh; Healy Park in Omagh for Tyrone versus Derry; Croke Park for Dublin’s clash with Mayo; and Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney, where Kerry will host Donegal.

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In the second week, matches will include Dublin travelling to Ballybofey to face Donegal, Galway meeting Mayo at MacHale Park in Castlebar, Tyrone playing Armagh at the Athletic Grounds, and Kerry visiting Celtic Park in Derry. At these venues, stoppages will be managed by a fifth official, signalled by the referee.

Referees will use clear gestures to indicate stoppages and resumptions—crossing their hands above their head to signal a stoppage and rotating one arm to indicate play should continue. The clock will pause for injuries requiring treatment, card administration, substitutions, melees, or significant delays, but it will keep running during frees, ’45s, and kick-outs. Previously, referees often accounted for the time taken by goalkeepers to take set pieces, but this will no longer be necessary.

The journey to introduce the clock and hooter has been fraught with challenges. Initially proposed after the 2013 Congress, trials during college matches revealed the need for rule changes, leading to the plan being shelved.

In other updates, new guidelines for head-high tackles now classify neck restraints and chokeholds as dangerous conduct, punishable by a red card.