Former Dublin manager Jim Gavin says the Football Review Committee which he is chairing is aiming for any "rule enhancements" to ready for a trial period by the start of the 2025 season, with the objective of permanent implementation in 2026.
The 12-strong committtee looking into ways to improve the game also includes fellow former inter-county managers Éamonn Fitzmaurice, James Horan and Malachy O'Rourke, as well as former Donegal All-Ireland winner Michael Murphy.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport's Marty Morrissey at Croke Park at the launch of the national survey for the Football Review Committee, Gavin said the remit of the body was to make Gaelic football "the most attractive amateur sport globally to play and watch".
"We'd like people to engage with us, tell us what they think about the games, things that they like, things that they dislike and then an open text of what would you like," he said.
"So that's where we open today, 5 April, it closes on 30 June and from that feedback that we get from what we call stakeholders, so predominantly the members of the association and the spectators and the people who might just enjoy Gaelic football - Gaelic football is the most played sport on the island of Ireland, it's the most watched sport and it's the sport that gets the most attention - so there's a big group that we need to survey and get their thoughts and ideas.
"Based on that and within the association - club coaches, club managers, the players themselves, referees, officials - we'll come up with some ideas to make rule enhancements.
"Our idea is to make not change for the sake of change, but anything that we propose will make the game better and to stay true to the vision the association has for itself that Gaelic games - and in this case football - will become the most enjoyable game to play globally and as an amateur game to play and watch."
On the timeline after the survey closes at the end of June, Gavin said that during the months of August to October, a final report will be furnished by the committee that will be submitted to the Ard Chomhairle of the GAA which in turn will forward it onto a special congress for a vote, with any successful proposal coming into effect in time for the start of next year.
"It's our intent to have it in early December to pass these rule enhancements that will take place then in the pre-season, National Football League and the Championship of 2025," he said.
"And once that is complete in 2025, then we'll come with a final report in September 2025 that the rules are permanent rules for the 2026 season."
Gavin added that the committee members are currently examining the existing rule book to review how they are being interpreted and whether they are being properly implemented.
GAA president Jarlath Burns said the review process and any subsequent recommendations for changes would be structured and echoed Gavin's view that the plan was also to ensure trialling of some new rules could occur as early as next year.
"Our vision for the games are to make Gaelic games the most enjoyable games in the world to play and watch and as a result of that, we're going to have a very methodical approach," he said.
"We're going to reflect on the game first and before we make any changes, we're going to consult with every possible stakeholder there is out there.
"The timeline is ambitious because we want to start to trial rules in 2025 which is a rule-change year. We want to use that to its fullest potential.
"We're going to hopefully be able to trial them throughout the entire year, including the championship, which is a first.
"But if we're going to do this right, we have to make sure that we have a full year of looking at the aspirational game, what emerges from all of these consultations and see where that takes us."
Burns also backed the "exemplary" Gavin and described the committee as a whole as "among the greatest thinking minds on the game, who have achieved everything".
But as for the potential for them to recommend wide-reaching changes to the way football is played, Burns said it was also possible to leave the game largely intact.
"The committee might decide to make no change at all because even the defensive game at times, with the goalkeeper going forward, can be very enjoyable to watch because you're waiting for a break and when it breaks the goalkeeper's up and you can see everybody scampering back," he said.
"That can be enjoyable. We're after witnessing maybe two or three of the best games we've seen in a long time, particularly the Division 1 league final.
"So there are a lot of very valid arguments out there to do nothing to the game, but most of the correspondence I've had since I became president have been specifically on the rules of Gaelic football."
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