Offaly's Michele Mann at the launch of the 2025 TG4 Leinster LGFA Championships at Parnell Park. New playing rules were passed for this year's intercounty championships at a special congress in Tullamore this week. Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile.

Rule changes approved at LGFA Special Congress

Ronan Fagan

Published: Fri 17 Apr 2026, 10:46 AM

A suite of 12 new playing rule enhancements, trialled during the 2026 Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) National League season and Higher Education Colleges competitions, were passed at a special congress in Tullamore this week.

The rule enhancements will now become a permanent feature of all LGFA adult intercounty championships at provincial and national levels.

An in-depth workshop intended to upskill referees, players and coaches on the package of 12 new playing rules will take place in TUS Midlands Athlone on Thursday, April 30, at 7.30pm.

Six of the 12 changes mirrored the GAA Football Review Committee’s rule enhancements in the men’s game.

They are the kickout mark, the two-point scoring arc, the requirement to keep three players in the opposition half at all times, the solo and go, and frees being brought forward for tactical fouling or dissent from the sideline.

The six other rule changes looked specifically at current LGFA rules, including those related to the tackle, with the overall aim of ensuring that the playing rules of the game are fair, consistent, inclusive, and reflective of the modern development of the sport.

The LGFA had established a Playing Rules Review Workgroup to conduct a comprehensive examination of current rules, to identify areas for improvement, and to recommend changes for consideration.

The work group was headed up by former LGFA President Mícheál Naughton, who was joined by former Leitrim star Maeve Quinn, inter-county referees Jonathan Murphy and Siobhán Coyle, current inter-county players Caroline O’Hanlon (Armagh) and Danielle Caldwell (Mayo), and former players Mary Jo Curran (Kerry) and Fiona Claffey (Westmeath).

Former Dublin manager Mick Bohan and AIB All-Ireland Senior Club Championship winning manager Willie Ward (Kilkerrin-Clonberne, Galway) were also Workgroup members, along with Dr. Siobhán O’Connor from Dublin City University, from a Medical/Player Welfare/Research viewpoint, and LGFA CEO, Lyn Savage.

A comprehensive survey collated views from a number of stakeholders, with almost 3000 responses gathered.

The feedback reflected a strong desire for a change in the tackle but not full physicality, and innovations that promote speed, skill, and attacking football, while maintaining fairness and player welfare.