The 2014 GAA Annual Congress will take place in Croke Park, Dublin on Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22.

A large number of motions, 63 in total, will come before the delegates, dealing with a very wide range of issues.

Here, we look in more detail at some of the 63 motions which will be voted on at the Annual Congress (via GAA.ie)

A full and comprehensive list of all motions, with detailed explanations, can be found here.

MOTIONS

Below are some of the main proposals:

Motion 1 - Proposed by Ard Chomhairle, Motion 1 extends a rule which already prevails in North America to include the New York Board. An inter-county player who has been named in a match-day championship 26 cannot get a sanction to play in New York unless they are a student – defined as anyone eligible for a J1 student visa. In effect, the motion will stop inter-county players going to New York after their team has been knocked out of the championship, depriving cubs of their services.

Motion 2 â€“ Again proposed by Ard Chomhairle, it proposes that in the Leinster GAA Hurling Championship, if the team that emerges from the Provincial Qualifier group beats the seeded team – Kilkenny, Galway, Dublin, Offaly or Wexford – in the provincial quarter-final then they will automatically become a seeded team the following year, effectively swapping places with the team they have beaten.

Motion 3 – Clock/Hooter in Hurling Championship

The use of a public time-clock and hooter was proposed by the FRC and approved at Annual Congress last year. This motion simply clarifies that the rule also applies to games, played in Croke Park and in all grounds used for the provincial and All-Ireland series, in the GAA Hurling Championship too.

Motion 32 – Numbering of Jerseys

Very simply, a player will not be allowed to enter the field of play with a number over the maximum allowed on a match-day panel. For example, in a senior inter-county game, no player with a number over 26 will be allowed on to the field. If there is a late change in playing personnel from the match-day programme, the new player will take the number of the player he is replacing. A blood sub will have to come on with a fresh jersey bearing his original number or he can be identified alphabetically – A, B, C, D, E etc.

Motion 35 – Extending Match Bans to Club level

Described by Ard Stiúrthóir Páraic Duffy at a briefing today as ‘the most radical’ on the clár, Motion 35, proposed by the Rules Advisory Committee, will extend the match bans now enforced at Allianz League and Senior Inter-County Championship level to the club scene, which currently still operates under a time-ban system. For more serious offences, time-based bans will remain in place at all levels.

Motion 40 – Penalties in Hurling

Inevitably, this will be known as the ‘Anthony Nash’ motion. Proposed by the Standing Committee on Playing Rules, which is chaired by Uachtarán CLG Liam O’Neill and includes Kilkenny manager Brian Cody and former Cork goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack among others, it will mean anyone taking a penalty in hurling will have to strike the sliotar from the 20-metre line and will not be allowed to advance the ball deliberately. The rule already applied for frees and sideline balls, but will now be extended to include penalties.

Motion 41 – Interfering with Faceguards in Hurling

Interfering with an opponent’s faceguard or any other part of an opponent’s helmet is a sending off offence.

Motion 42 – Racist and Sectarian Abuse

Gives the referee the power to send a player who uses racist or sectarian language off. The rule, as it stands, doesn’t explicitly state that such abusive language is a sending off offence.

Motion 43 – Sponsorship of Underage Teams

Proposes to outlaw advertising material relating to alcohol companies, public houses and off-license premises from being displayed on playing gear of teams catering for players under 18 years of age.

Motion 53 – Changing Minor Grade to U17

Proposed by the Monaghan County Committee, motion 53 seeks for the minor grade to be changed to U17 rather than U18, as it is at the moment. It’s the first time this proposal will be discussed at GAA Congress.

Motion 56, proposed by the Burren club in Down, relates to teams meeting in the All-Ireland Qualifiers who have already played each other in the provincial championship. Their proposal seeks a change to the rules, whereby the winner of the provincial championship fixture is automatically given home advantage when they meet again later in the All-Ireland series.

Motion 58 will allow Fingal to compete in the Nicky Rackard Cup.

Motion 59 –Match-Day Panels

Proposed by Blackrock in Limerick, the motion proposes that at county Minor, U21, Junior, Intermediate and Senior levels match-day panels shall consist of 30 players. At the moment, Minor panels are restricted to 24 and Senior to 26.

Motion 61 – U21 Winter Break

Wexford proposed that U21 inter-county teams are allowed to return to collective training on December 1. Rule 6.43 currently states that U21 teams are not allowed to train collectively until January 1.

For a full and detailed look at all motions, with thorough explanations, click here.