England Football Association (FA) has moved to cut dissent at grassroots level by asking the lower leagues to try sin bins from next season.

In a bid to help out officiating and the game officials, the FA wrote to organizers at County League level – those six tiers below the National League – to allow a temporary 10-minute dismissal for dissent with the hope that it would reflect on player behaviour.

Instead of fining the players £10 for such offences, players would be dismissed. The plan would also save clubs and the league, as a whole, admin duties.
Through the FA verified Twitter account, the news was announced. It reads: “Grassroots leagues across the country have been invited to trial sin bins for cautions of dissent next season.”

The long term plan is to see whether this could be introduced into professional football. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) that makes rules for the game met in March. At the meeting at Wembley, they agreed to experiment with the idea in grassroots, youth, veterans and disability football leagues in some countries.

FIFA’s chief officer for technical development Marco van Basten supports the idea to see if the trial sin bins would be effective in pro football. UEFA has tested the idea in its developmental tournaments but would apply it more widely in England.

Sin bins have been effective in Rugby in managing dissent towards referees and it has been proposed for long as a measure to curtail it in football. The technical director of IFAB David Elleray has been an advocate for the measure with these trials a test of its sustainability and effectiveness.