Premier League to Ban Towels for Drying the Ball
Listen to the story
The Premier League is making new rules for football in England. The rules start in the 2026/27 season. One new rule says players cannot use towels to dry the ball. Teams also cannot use wax on the ball. The league wants to stop time-wasting in games. Time-wasting is when a team plays slowly to keep the score the same. Arsenal is not happy about the new towel rule. The team often used towels when it rained. A person from Arsenal joked that players might need to wear a hat instead. Many fans are talking about the new rules online. Some people like the change. Other people think it is not important.
Vocabulary15 words
- Premier League
- the top football league in England
- towels
- cloth used to dry something
- wax
- a soft substance used to make something smooth or dry
- time-wasting
- playing slowly on purpose to keep the score
- Arsenal
- a football team in London
- hat
- clothing you wear on your head
- rule
- something you must follow
- season
- the time of the year when a sport is played
- team
- a group of players
- ball
- the round object used in football
- rain
- water that falls from the sky
- score
- the number of goals in a game
- fans
- people who support a team
- joke
- something said to be funny
- change
- when something becomes different
Quiz
Answer key
1. Towels 2. Arsenal 3. 2026/27 season
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Premier League is making new _____ for football in England. The rules start in the _____ season. One new rule says players cannot use _____ to dry the ball. Teams also cannot use _____ on the ball. The league wants to stop _____ in games. Time-wasting is when a team plays slowly to keep the score the same. _____ is not happy about the new towel rule. The team often used towels when it _____. A person from Arsenal joked that players might need to wear a _____ instead. Many _____ are talking about the new rules online.