10 Rule Changes Football Fans Desperately Want in the Modern Game

Football is the people’s game, or at least, it used to be. These days, it feels like the gap between the fans in the stands and the suits in the boardrooms is wider than ever. Fancy camera angles, corporate slogans, £100m transfers, and yet the things fans have been shouting about for years? Still ignored.

• What’s a Tifo Banner in Football and the Meaning Behind it?

So, here’s the wishlist, not from committees or consultants, but from terraces, pubs, forums, and WhatsApp groups. Nine rules football fans would love to see brought into the modern game. Some are bold, some are overdue, and a few might ruffle feathers. But they all come from love and people who want to see the game thrive, not survive.

Here Are The 10 Rule Changes Football Fans Desperately Want in the Modern Game

1. Televised 3 PM Kick-Offs in the UK

It’s a weekly farce. It’s 2025, and you still can’t legally watch your team at 3 pm on a Saturday if you live in the UK, the actual home of football.

The 3 pm blackout, originally designed to protect lower-league attendances, has been rendered meaningless by streaming, VPNs, and international coverage. Fans are watching dodgy streams while broadcasters pretend it’s 1994.

• 9 Interesting Lamine Yamal Facts From Childhood That'll Surprise You.

And the irony? You can watch Wrexham on Disney+, but not Arsenal at Bournemouth on TV in London. It’s time to scrap this outdated rule and treat fans like grown-ups. Let us legally watch the club we love. Simple.

2. Bring in A Stop Clock to Prevent Time-Wasting

You know the scenario: your team’s losing 1–0, and the opposition goalkeeper suddenly has all the time in the world. Substitutions become marathons. Injuries turn into theatre productions. And somehow, six minutes of added time gets squeezed into about four or even two minutes.

Why not do what rugby, basketball, and American football do? A visible stop clock, with the game paused every time play is stopped. It doesn’t just ensure fairness, but it restores trust.

Football doesn’t need more stoppages, it needs accountability for the time we lose. A stopwatch would put an end to the dark arts and finally let 90 minutes mean 90 minutes.

• The Highest-Paid Premier League Managers in 2025.

3. Diving? Straight Red. Enough is Enough!

Diving is embarrassing. Not just for the players doing it, but for the game itself. Fans watch a striker go down like he’s been shot, VAR spends two minutes reviewing slow-motion replays, and the next thing you know: penalty. We’re tired of it.

The idea of giving a red card for simulation may sound extreme, but think about it, if diving was punished properly, how quickly would it stop? Footballers are clever people. They’ll adapt. They always do. But until the punishment fits the crime, they’ll keep cheating the system. And fans? We just want a fair fight.

4. Introduce A Salary Cap on Players

Let’s not beat around the bush, top-level football wages are absurd. The average fan earning £30k a year is watching players make that in two days… and half the time they're sitting on the bench.

While fans aren't anti-player, these athletes are incredibly gifted, there’s a growing feeling that the financial model is unsustainable. Salary caps, as seen in American sports, could level the playing field, rein in reckless spending, and stop clubs from spiralling into crisis chasing Champions League dreams.

We’re not saying players shouldn’t earn well. But when wage bills dwarf the club’s income, and fans are footing the bill with £90 tickets and £150 shirts, something has gone wrong. A cap doesn’t punish success, it protects the soul of the game.

5. Mic-Up Referees; Transparency, Finally

Referees have an impossible job. So why do we leave them to get crucified by fans without a single explanation? In rugby and the NFL, officials are mic’d up. Every decision is explained in real-time. Fans hear it. Players respect it. And it works.

In football, refs operate in total silence, then disappear into the tunnel while 50,000 fans are left fuming. No wonder trust is at an all-time low. Put a mic on them. Let us hear what they’re seeing, what they’re thinking, and how they’re applying the rules. You’ll still get debate, it’s football, after all, but at least you’ll get clarity.

6. Bonus Point for Teams That Score 5+ Goals

This one’s got pub chat energy, but hear us out. Imagine your team smashes someone 5–0 and gets an extra league point for their efforts. It rewards attacking football, encourages risk-taking, and gives fans something to cheer even in the 90th minute of a blowout.

Would it make a big difference? Maybe not over a whole season but it would incentivise positivity. And wouldn’t that be a nice change in a game increasingly obsessed with "low blocks" and "expected goals"? Think of it as a nod to entertainment value, and let’s be honest, fans deserve a few more wild scorelines rather than passing side to side.

7. Simplify the Handball Rule - We’re All Confused

It’s handball… unless it’s not. If the arm’s in a natural position. Unless it’s not. If it leads to a goal. Or maybe it doesn’t.

Does this sound familiar?

The current handball law is so complex, even players don’t know what’s legal anymore. We have all seen defenders penalised for arms behind their backs, and attackers robbed of goals because the ball brushed a fingertip 30 seconds earlier.

The rule needs a reboot. Either go back to deliberate handball only, or go full black-and-white: any contact with the arm = free kick or penalty. But don’t sit in the middle. The grey area is killing the flow and the joy of the game.

8. Stricter Rules on Foreign Ownership

Let’s be real, too many clubs have been bought by owners who either don’t understand football or don’t care about it. From leveraged buyouts to state-funded sportswashing, supporters have been reduced to spectators in boardroom battles.

Fans want protection. Not against foreign investment, but against irresponsible or unethical ownership. Clubs aren’t just businesses, they’re also social institutions.

A proper "fit and proper" test should mean more than a quick background check. Owners should commit to transparency, fan engagement, and long-term support or be shown the door. Football clubs aren’t franchises. They’re family.

9. The FA Needs to Step Up - And Speak Up

Where’s the FA when things go wrong? When racism in football rears its head? When VAR decisions are a mess? When ownership disputes boil over? and so on... Too often, they vanish.

Fans want leadership. Real, visible leadership. Those bold enough to make the right call and not quiver. A governing body that protects the game, not one that hides behind statements and committees.

Whether it’s enforcing rules, backing referees, or supporting grassroots football, the FA needs to stop acting like a passenger. Because right now, it feels like football’s being run on autopilot, and the fans are the only ones keeping it on course.

You've heard of 'the tail wagging the dog'? That’s what this is. The people who should be in charge are reacting instead of leading, and it's the game that suffers.

10. Players Should Pay Their Agents

Here’s a question no one in football seems to want to answer: Why are clubs paying agents millions… to negotiate against themselves?

Right now, when a club signs a player, they’re often the ones footing the agent’s bill, even though that agent is primarily working for the player. In what other industry does that happen? Imagine applying for a job and making the employer pay your recruiter £10 million for the privilege. Ludicrous.

Fans are growing increasingly frustrated by the eye-watering agent fees. Just look at Chelsea, Man Utd and Man City; tens of millions paid out to intermediaries, even before wages and transfer fees are considered.

If a player wants representation, let them pay for it. Clubs should only be responsible for their side of the negotiation. That one change could instantly curb runaway costs and stop clubs from being fleeced just to complete a deal. Let’s not pretend we can’t fix where it’s going.

Some of these rules will spark debate. But that’s what football is about: passion, opinion, energy. What matters is that fans feel heard again. Because without us, the game loses its soul.