English football will trial a new measure this season designed to deter tactical goalkeeper injuries, requiring an outfield player to leave the pitch for one minute whenever their goalkeeper receives physiotherapy during a match stoppage.
Under the IFAB-approved experiment covering the Premier League, EFL, FA, National League and WSL, a manager has 10 seconds after a referee signals treatment to nominate which outfield player must temporarily exit; if no selection is made, the captain leaves. Exemptions apply for fouls on the goalkeeper, collisions with outfield players, bleeding, serious injuries and concussion assessments. The trial is set to debut in Tranmere's Carabao Cup preliminary-round tie against Rochdale on 29 July.
Additional time-wasting measures will also be tested, including a 10-second countdown for substituted players and a five-second count for delayed throw-ins and goal-kicks. Australia's A-League will run a parallel variation where the captain must always be the player to leave.