Premier League changes: new offside and crackdown on diving

With the start of new football season just a day away, strikers are digesting changes to the offside rule, approved this week, which could lead to more goals being disallowed.

The tweak, which affects players in an offside position who do not touch the ball, is one of several new regulations ahead of the 2015-16 campaign.

What changes can fans look forward to this season?

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Offside rule:

The new guidelines say that a player in an offside position will be penalised if he "makes an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball".

That, according to the Daily Mail, means that "if a player has a shot at goal and a team-mate in an offside position makes a play for the ball - even if they don't touch it - the goal will now be disallowed".

The biggest impact could be on free kicks and crosses into the box that evade everyone and squeeze into the goal.

"Officials believe the new rule will simplify the situation and dissuade players from lingering around in an offside position knowing they would not be considered to be actively involved in play," says the Mail.

Feigning injury:

The long awaited crackdown on divers could finally be getting underway, with retrospective action now available for players who get an opponent sent off by feigning injury.

The new rule is the FA's "first foray into stamping out simulation from the English game", says the Daily Telegraph. But it applies only in specific circumstances.

"For a player to be banned for feigning injury, a red card shown to his opponent for violent conduct would first have to be rescinded," says the paper. "If footage used to overturn the decision also demonstrates the apparent victim had deliberately sought to deceive the match officials, he or she will face a three-match ban."

Code of conduct:

Guidelines for managers and coaches in the technical area have also been introduced for the new campaign. The FA is "cracking down on the stream of verbal abuse from managers and coaches in technical areas by introducing a formal code of conduct", explains the Daily Mail.

Kicking water bottles, sarcastic clapping and the waving imaginary cards will all be outlawed. Culprits will get a warning and will be sent to stands if they don't stop.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore told BBC Sport: "A bit of the soap opera is good... It is not going to stop some of the fun and games but hopefully it should stop some of the unedifying moments."

Surrounding referees:

From this season only two players will be allowed to approach the referee on the field, one fewer than before.

New balls please:

Nike's new Premier League ball is the red and white Ordem 3, which will set you back £95. The BBC reckons it looks like Spiderman, while the manufacturer says it has "pinnacle proprietary aerodynamic technology, Nike Aerow Trac grooves... [and] fuse-welded synthetic leather".

"Translation: it's red and white and you can kick it," says The Guardian.