IN RECENT years the GAA’s January provincial competitions have served as the initial testing ground for various experimental rules – from modified hand passes to the infamous sin bin.

This year sees the GAA introduce new match-ban suspensions, on a one-year experimental basis, but these won’t be applied in this month’s competitions and instead will only come into effect during the Allianz League and the 2012 championship.

Last April’s GAA Congress approved by the overwhelmingly majority of 92 per cent to introduce the new match-ban suspensions for 2012, although only in the league and championship: if they prove successful, they will be implemented at all levels of football and hurling from 2013 onwards.

Some four years of preparation went into agreeing the new system, which will only apply to Category II and Category III offences – which currently carry a minimum of four and eight-week suspensions respectively.

Come the league and championship, the four-week suspensions will be replaced by one-game bans in the same code and at the same level of competition, with two-game suspensions replacing the eight-week penalty. Any repeat infractions will also carry two-game suspensions, as opposed to the previous eight-week ban.

However time-based suspensions will remain in place for the more serious offences, such as Category IV and Category V – which include assault on the match referee, and where three, six or 12-month suspensions can still be handed out.

It was also agreed that any player who picks up a straight red card or a suspension in either of this year’s All-Ireland finals will have to serve it in the 2013 Allianz League.

Meanwhile, London will begin their first participation in the Connacht FBD League with back-to-back matches on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon – not that manager Paul Coggins is complaining.

Connacht have agreed to include London in this year’s competition as a way of further cementing their place within the province, given they already compete in the football championship, and for London this can only improve preparations for both the championship and more immediately, the national football League.

London made significant progress under Coggins in 2011 when they very nearly beat Mayo in the Connacht quarter-final, losing out 0-19 to 2-10 and after extra time, before famously beating Fermanagh in the All-Ireland qualifiers, 0-15 to 0-9.

They were later beaten by Waterford in the second round, but there is hope for further London progress in 2012 – which begins tomorrow evening when they face Sligo IT, before playing Sligo on Sunday. Coggins faces a similar double bill next weekend when London face both NUIG and Galway.

Sunday’s Dr McKenna Cup match involving Donegal and UUJ has been switched to Letterkenny. Originally fixed for Páirc Mac Cumhaill in Ballybofey, the Ulster Council yesterday moved the tie to O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny, with the same throw in time of 2pm.