Every new rule and law Blackburn Rovers must be wary of

Valerien Ismael's squad has just one fresh faces in Dion De Neve, though the club are working to add more arrivals. There remains plenty of time before August 8 to get new blood into the Ewood Park squad.

As with most seasons, there will be a few tweaks in the Championship next season. The FA have implemented a number of changes to the Laws of the Game that will be applied from the new campaign.

Several updates are minor clarifications, but a few could have a significant impact on how games are played next season.

Here’s a summary of the key changes Blackburn Rovers and other Championship clubs will need to be aware of:

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Eight-second goalkeeper rule

One of the most high-profile changes is to Law 12 (fouls and misconduct).

Goalkeepers who have the ball with their hands or arms for more than eight seconds will now concede a corner kick to the opposition.

The corner must be taken from the side of the goal area where the infringement occurred, as clarified in Law 17 (corner kick).

To help enforce this, referees will now visibly count down the final five seconds once a goalkeeper has been holding the ball.

This is covered under an update to Law 5 (the referee), with match officials instructed to use a clear, raised arm signal while counting down "five, four, three..." to indicate that the eight-second limit is approaching.

This has been a long-standing gripe with many EFL managers, who feel goalkeepers are being used to time waste. Another issue is tactical stoppages, when a GK goes down for treatment, though nothing has yet been implemented to prevent that.

'Only the captain' guideline

Under Law 3 (the players), competitions now have the option to implement the “Only the Captain” rule.

This means only the team captain will be allowed to approach and speak to the referee regarding decisions during a match. The EFL is expected to adopt this guideline, aiming to reduce dissent and improve communication between players and match officials.

Rovers were not overly guilty of bookings for this kind of offence. Lewis Travis will be the skipper next season and so will carry this responsibility.

Dropped ball clarification

Law 8 (start and restart of play) has been updated to clarify how dropped balls are handled:

• If play is stopped inside the penalty area, the ball will be dropped to the defending goalkeeper.
• If play is stopped outside the area, the ball is returned to the team that clearly would have had possession. If it’s unclear, it is dropped to the team that last touched the ball.

Other adjustments

• Under Law 9, there is no longer a disciplinary sanction if a team official or substitute touches the ball as it’s going out of play — as long as there’s no intent to interfere unfairly.
• Law 11 has been updated to confirm that, when a goalkeeper throws the ball, the last point of contact with the hand should be used when determining offside positions.
• Laws 16 (goal kick) and 17 (corner kick) now include cross-references to other relevant rules, helping clarify when these restarts should be awarded.

All changes will be in effect from the opening weekend of the new season, which kicks off on the weekend of August 9.