The Australian Professional Leagues has extended the mandatory concussion standdown period from eight to 12 days, as the A-League Men and Ninja A-League Women prepare to open their 2026/27 seasons this weekend.
The change follows a review and consultation with stakeholders and the competition's Chief Medical Officer, the APL said. Players must now complete every stage of the Graduated Return To Play Program, signed off by their club doctor, before they can take part in a competitive match again.
The update brings the A-Leagues into line with the English FA's concussion guidelines, which the APL described as among the most conservative return-to-play protocols in world football.
The concussion substitution introduced in 2024, which allows teams an extra substitution for an actual or suspected concussion without using up one of their normal substitutions, remains in place.
The standdown change is one of several new rules and trials the APL has confirmed for the coming season, all approved by Football Australia, FIFA and IFAB.
Chief among them is a time-limited substitution protocol, trialled successfully at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will require a player being substituted to leave the field within ten seconds. If they do not, their replacement can only enter the match at the next stoppage after a minute has passed.
A new "Tactical Goalkeeper Injury Protocol A" will also apply whenever a goalkeeper is assessed or treated on the field, or suffers an injury that stops play. Under the protocol, the team's captain must leave the field and stay off for one minute after play resumes, with exceptions for certain injury scenarios set out by IFAB.
Where the goalkeeper is also the team captain, referees must be told before the coin toss which player will leave the field in that situation. The APL noted its version of the protocol differs slightly from Protocol B, which English football has adopted.
Any other player who needs the game stopped for treatment must also leave the pitch for a minute, unless they were injured by a tackle that earned the opposing player a yellow or red card.
Referees will also have discretion to apply a new five-second countdown at throw-ins and goal kicks, aimed at cutting down on time-wasting. It sits alongside the eight-second rule introduced last season for goalkeepers holding the ball. If the five-second limit is exceeded, a goal kick that runs over will result in a corner for the opposition, while a delayed throw-in will be reversed to the other side.
In the A-League Men, video assistant referees will be able to review attacking-team offences committed before the ball is in play at a corner or free kick, where those offences have a direct bearing on a goal, penalty or disciplinary sanction. If an offence is confirmed, the corner or free kick will be retaken and any disciplinary action applied. Reviews for mistaken identity can only establish which player committed an offence, not change what the offence was.
Away from playing conditions, Ninja A-League Women matchday squads have been expanded to 18 players, bringing them into line with the men's competition.
The APL said the changes were made as part of its annual off-season review, carried out in consultation with clubs and football stakeholders including Professional Footballers Australia and Football Australia.
The new rules take effect from the opening round of the 2026/27 A-League Men and Ninja A-League Women seasons this weekend.