About the Institute
So, what exactly is the Institute? Throughout the history of the game, from the very first formulation of the rules, situations have arisen which have required changes to the rules. For example, the offside rule has changed a number of times in response to its effects on play, varying between one, two and three defending players between the attacker and the goal, before finally being settled as two. The institute believes that as factors such as styles, speed, fitness, and skill levels change, there is also a need to amend the rules to keep up with these changes.
Not least among these considerations is the question of technology. Nowadays, the speed of play and players often means that referees cannot keep up with the changing situations on the field. The growth of technology off the field, not least the technology available to TV companies and their pundits in their match analyses, and its increasing acceptance and success in other sports, has created an irresistuble force impinging on the powers that be in football. This situation cries out for action, and the Institute is ideally placed to be the leader in this process. We are working hard to develop new ideas and practical solutions to problems on the pitch, as well as off it, which, we believe, can only be beneficial to the game and help raise it and establish it firmly in the 21st century.
So join us in contributing to the discussion and debate. We welcome your ideas and suggestions, however unlikely they may seem. After all, progress only takes place as the result of the imagination and determination of those willing to take a chance and change the future. We hope you will be with us in this great endeavour.