Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Referee David Gough.Ryan Byrne/INPHO FreeMan in the Middle 'They've been great for us' - Referee Gough delivers support for FRC's new rules The Meath official was in charge of Armagh-Tyrone last Saturday. 12.50pm, 1 May 2025 Share options LEADING GAA REFEREE David Gough has given strong support for the new rules that have revamped Gaelic football as the championship action continues, despite having previously criticised how the changes were introduced. Gough had given his thoughts on the changes brought in by the FRC when speaking to RTÉ last November and again with Newstalk’s Off The Ball in January. He said he was ‘horrified’ at the way the rules were written and described at the time as ‘astonishing’ the decision to bring in 49 rule changes. But speaking yesterday as part of a panel discussion at the announcement of SuperValu’s five-year sponsorship extension of the All-Ireland senior football championship, Gough revealed his backing for the rules since they have been implemented. Advertisement Gough was in charge of last Saturday’s thrilling Ulster semi-final between Armagh and Tyrone, while he also last month refereed the Leinster quarter-final between Kildare and Westmeath. “They’ve been great for us, once they bed in,” said the Meath official yesterday. “I think the greatest one for us is one of the values that’s based in the GAA. Respect – and the respect that’s afforded to referees now on the pitch and from the sideline has increased greatly. I notice it not so much at inter-county level in that we have a great relationship (with the players) on the pitch and a good relationship with the management teams. “But certainly for club referees around the country, they are telling us anecdotally that the enjoyment for them in refereeing and the respect that they’re getting has increased significantly. “That there’s greater silence on the pitch and they’re allowed make their decisions, go through the thought processes and there just seems to be a happy atmosphere among the referee cohort at the moment in relation to the respect on the field.” Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here Fintan O'Toole Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'They've been great for us' - Referee Gough delivers support for FRC's new rules”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'They've been great for us' - Referee Gough delivers support for FRC's new rules”. 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