GameAt the start of each game, captains from both teams meet at midfield for the coin toss to determine who starts with the ball. The visiting team calls the toss. The winner of the coin toss has the choice of offense or defense. The loser of the coin toss has the choice of direction. There is no option to defer. Possession changes to start the second half to the team that started the game on defense. The offensive team takes possession of the ball at its 5-yard line and has four (4) downs to cross midfield. Once a team crosses midfield, it has four (4) downs to score a touchdown. If the offense fails to score, after crossing midfield the ball changes possession and the new offensive Team starts at its 5-yard line
Teams change sides after the first half. Possession changes to the team that started the game on defense.
Terminology
EquipmentAll players must wear official NFL FLAG belts and flags. All players MUST wear mouth guards at all times while on the field. Game balls should be age specific. Players must wear shoes or cleats. Metal cleats are not allowed. Crocs/sandals are not allowed. Players may tape their forearms, hands and fingers. Players may wear gloves, elbow pads and knee pads. Braces with exposed metals are not allowed. Players must remove all jewelry and hard billed hats. Winter beanies are allowed. Players may wear soft shell helmets, halos and sunglasses but they must be secured at ALL times while on the field. Prescription glasses are permitted without a strap. Players’ jerseys must be tucked into shorts or pants if they hang below the belt line. We recommend players wear shorts or pants that do not have pockets. Shorts or pants with belt loops or pockets must be taped. Games will not be delayed for a player to tape up pockets. NFL FLAG footballs will be provided. Flag belts and flags cannot be the same color as the shorts or pants
Electronic communication between any player with their coach or spectator for their Team is prohibited. If a team or individual is found to be using electronic communication with a player, or coach, at any time, that Team will be disqualified immediately from play. This does not limit possible additional discipline at the sole discretion of the local league organizer.
FieldThere are two recommended field dimensions. 30 yards wide by 70 yards with two 10-yard endzones 25 yards wide by 64 yards long with two seven-yard endzones. Both with a midfield line to gain. No Run zones are located five yards prior to the line to gain and five yards prior to the endzone in the offense’s direction.
No-run zones are in place to prevent teams from conducting power run plays. While in the no-run zones (a 5-yard imaginary zone before midfield and before the end zone), teams cannot run the ball in any fashion. All plays must be pass plays, even with a handoff. Stepping on the boundary line is considered out of bounds. Each offensive team approaches only TWO no-run zones in each drive (one zone 5 yards from midfield to gain the first down, and one zone 5 yards from the goal line to score a TD). *No-run zones are eliminated in the 4-6 YO and 7-8 YO divisions. Teams may run anywhere on the field.* The referee will place the ball in the middle of the field prior to the ‘Ready to Play’. The ball may NOT be placed closer than 10-yards to any boundary.
Timing and OvertimeGames are played on a 40-minute continuous clock with two 20-minute halves, unless one team gains a 35-point advantage which will end the game unless teams agree to continue without changing the score. The clock stops for halftime, injuries and the Officials’ discretion. Halftime is 2 minutes. After each play is over, a team has 40 seconds to snap the ball. Each team has two 30-second timeouts per half. They do not carry over. Officials can stop the clock at their discretion. In the event of an injury, the clock will stop then restart when the injured player is removed from the field of play. If this happens, the injured player must sit out at least one play before returning to play. If the score is tied at the end of regulation play, an overtime period will be used to determine a winner. Overtime format, when applicable, is as follows: Home team calls the toss to determine the team that chooses to be on offense or defense first. If a second round of overtime must be played, the team that lost the coin toss will get to choose offense or defense for the start of the second round of overtime. This process continues with teams alternating who gets to choose to be on offense or defense to start out during every round of overtime. The referee will determine which end of the field the overtime will take place on.
Each team will take turns getting one (1) play from the defense’s 5-yard line for one point or the defense’s 10-yard line for two points. Whether to go for one or two points is up to the offensive team. Whether or not the team that begins on offense converts the team that started on defense gets a chance on offense to win or tie by converting a one- or two-point play of their own. Example: Team A starts on offense and chooses to go for one point from the 5-yard line and is successful. Team B is then on offense and can choose to either go for one point from the 5-yard line to tie and force a second round of overtime or to go for two points from the 10-yard line for the win. If the second team on offense in an overtime round fails to beat or match the team that went first, the team that went first wins.
Starting with the 2nd overtime, both teams must "go for two" from the 10-yard line. Starting with the 3rd overtime, each team will get 1 play from the 5 yard line going out from the endzone. The team with the most yards will be the winner. The team with the most yards will be awarded 1 point added to their final score. Final Score will be recorded to include all points scored for each team. All regulation period rules and penalties are in effect. There are no timeouts. Each team will be afforded one (1) ‘coaches challenge’ for the entire overtime session. Challenge MUST be a misapplication of a rule. NOT a judgement call by the official. Interceptions are returnable in OT, and worth 2 points. Interceptions returned for a score in the first or second overtime period, the game is over. Interceptions advanced in the third overtime period, the game is over.
Each team has one rules challenge for the entire overtime session.
ScoringTouchdown: 6 points PAT (point after touchdown) 1 point (5-yard line) or 2 points (10-yard line) Note: 1 point PAT is pass only; 2 point PAT can be run or pass.
Interceptions returned for scores during regular game play are worth six points, conversions . or overtime are worth two points Safety: 2 points A safety occurs when the ball-carrier is declared down in his/her own end zone. Runners can be called down when their flags are pulled by a defensive player, a flag falls out, they step out of bounds, their knee or arm touches the ground, a fumble occurs in the end zone or if a snapped ball lands in or beyond the end zone.
A team that scores a touchdown must declare whether it wishes to attempt a 1-point conversion (from the 5-yard line) or a 2-point conversion (from the 10-yard line). Any change, once a decision is made to try for the extra point, requires a charged timeout. A decision cannot be changed after a penalty. After one team is winning by 35 points or more, the game is over. TEAMS may elect to continue but no additional points scored will be added. Forfeits are scored 35-0 for the winning team. The coaches, officials and scorekeeper must verify the score sheet. If a coach does not verify the score sheet before leaving the field, the scorekeeper will note on that score sheet and the score will be FINAL.
Live Ball/Dead BallThe ball is live at the snap of the ball and remains live until the official whistles the ball dead. The official will indicate the neutral zone and line of scrimmage. It is an automatic dead ball foul if any player on defense or offense enters the neutral zone. In regard to the neutral zone, the official may give both teams a “courtesy” neutral zone notification to allow their players to move back behind the line of scrimmage.
A player who gains possession of the ball in the air is considered in bounds as long as the first foot or a body part other than the hand contacts the ground in the field of play with possession. Substitutions may be made on any dead ball. The defense may not mimic the offensive team signals by trying to confuse the offensive players, while the quarterback is calling out signals to start the play. Other unfair acts would be; not returning five (5) eligible players to the field of play after halftime, a team or officials time out prior to the ‘Ready to Play’ signal by the referee. This will result in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Any official can whistle the play dead. Play is ruled “dead” when: The ball hits the ground. If the ball hits the ground as a result of a bad snap, the ball can be picked up to continue the play. The player that picks up the ball becomes the QB and therefore cannot run with the ball.
The ball-carrier’s flag is pulled. The ball-carrier steps out of bounds. A touchdown, PAT or safety is scored. The ball-carrier’s knee or arm hits the ground. The ball-carrier’s flag falls out. The receiver catches the ball while in possession of one or no flag(s). The 7 second pass clock expires. Inadvertent whistle Ball-carrier leaves their feet diving or to hurdle a player.
NOTE: Fumbles/ loss of possession: Ground contact must be made for the play to be dead at that spot. A fumble is loss of possession by a player, resulting in the ball contacting the ground. If inadvertent or erroneous whistle occurs the offense has two options: take the ball where the whistle blew and the down is consumed replay the down from the original line of scrimmage. If it occurs on the last play of the half or game, the offense will be awarded one untimed down and given those two options.
A team is allowed to use a timeout to question an official’s rule interpretation. If the official’s ruling is correct, the team will be charged a timeout. If the rule is interpreted incorrectly, the timeout will not be charged and the proper ruling will be enforced. Officials should all agree upon any controversial call in order to give each team the full benefit of each call. Officials should all agree in order to change a call on the field that is in dispute
RunningThe ball is spotted where the ball is when the flag is pulled. The quarterback cannot directly run with the ball. The quarterback is the offensive player who receives the snap under center directly, or in shotgun formation. Direct handoffs, pitches, and laterals are permitted behind the line of scrimmage only. If this takes place after the ball carrier crosses the line of scrimmage, the play is to be blown dead by the official. The ball shall be placed at the spot possession was lost for the succeeding play. “Center sneak” play is NOT allowed. The QB may NOT handoff, pitch or lateral the ball first to the center. Any player who receives a handoff, backward pass, pitch or lateral can throw the ball from behind the line of scrimmage. Once the ball has been handed off, in front, behind or to the side of the quarterback, or a backward pass, pitch or lateral has occurred, the seven-second passing clock is eliminated and all defensive players are eligible to rush.
Definition of a “Legal Handoff” - Total loss of possession directly from 1 offensive play to another. No-run Zones are located 5 yards before each end zone and 5 yards on either side of midfield are designed to avoid short-yardage power-running situations. Teams are not allowed to run in these zones if the subsequent line is LIVE. (Reminder: Each offensive team approaches only TWO no-run zones in each drive – one 5 yards from midfield to gain the first down and one 5 yards from the goal line to score a TD). For age groups 4-6 YO and 7-8 YO, the 'No Run’ zones are eliminated. Teams may run anywhere on the field. Runners are not permitted to jump, leap or hurdle, in the officials judgement, while advancing the ball. The play is to be blown dead and ball spotted where it was when they left the ground. Ballcarriers may leave their feet and the play will continue for spinning, jump cuts, QB’s passing progression or if there is a clear indication that he/she has done so to avoid a collision with another player and the play will continue without stoppage. However, if while leaving the ground, contact is made unnecessary roughness or an illegal contact penalty may be enforced by the official. No blocking or “screening” is allowed at any time. Offensive players in close proximity of the ball-carrier must stop their motion once the ball has crossed the line of scrimmage. No running with the ball-carrier. Flag obstruction – All jerseys MUST be tucked in before play begins. The flags must be on the player’s hips and free from obstruction. Deliberately obstructed flags will be considered flag guarding. Once the ball is advanced beyond the LOS, the current ball-carrier is the only player allowed to have possession of the ball until the play is dead.
PassingOnly 1 forward pass thrown from behind the line of scrimmage is permitted each offensive play. The ball must be out of hand prior to breaching the line of scrimmage. Passes may be thrown forward or backwards behind the line of scrimmage. There is no intentional grounding. All passes, except backwards passes, that do not cross the line of scrimmage, whether received or not, are illegal forward passes, unless touched by a defender. Pass must go beyond the line of scrimmage. The quarterback may throw the ball away to avoid a sack. The pass must go beyond the line of scrimmage.
Shovel passes are allowed but must be forward from behind the line of scrimmage, and received beyond the line of scrimmage. The quarterback has a seven-second “pass clock.” If a pass is not thrown within the seven seconds, the play is dead, the down is consumed and the ball is returned to the line of scrimmage. Once the ball is handed off, pitched or lateraled behind the line of scrimmage, the 7-second rule is no longer in effect. If the QB is standing in the end zone at the end of the 7-second clock, the ball is returned to the line of scrimmage (LOS). If the quarterback throws the ball and then catches it, the play is dead and treated like an incomplete pass.
ReceivingAll players are eligible to receive passes (including the quarterback if the ball has been handed off, pitched or lateraled behind the line of scrimmage). Only one player is allowed in motion at a time. Player MUST be off the line of scrimmage at least one (1) yard. All motion must be lateral to the line of scrimmage and no motion is permitted toward the line of scrimmage at the snap. A player must have at least one foot or other body part in bounds, contacting the ground first with possession. In the case of simultaneous possession by both an offensive and defensive player, possession is awarded to the offense. Interceptions are returnable. If returned for a score during regular game play, the score will be worth six points, two points if returned during conversions and/or overtime.
Rushing the Passer (only allow in certain age groups)All players who rush the passer must be a minimum of seven yards from the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. Up to two (2) players can rush the quarterback. Rushers MUST identify themselves by raising their hand before the snap. Rushers MUST rush the passer immediately after the snap. Delayed rush is NOT permitted, by rule. Players not rushing the quarterback can defend the line of scrimmage. Once the ball is handed off, pitched or lateraled behind the line of scrimmage the seven-yard rule no longer is in effect and all defenders may go behind the line of scrimmage. A special marker, or the referee, will designate a rush line seven yards from the line of scrimmage. Defensive players should verify they are in the correct position with the official on every play. A legal rush is: Any rush from a point 7-yards from the defensive line of scrimmage. A rush from anywhere on the field AFTER the ball has been handed off, pitched or lateraled by the quarterback.
A penalty may be called if: The rusher leaves the rush line before the snap and crosses the line of scrimmage before a handoff, pitch, lateral or pass – illegal rush (5-yards from the line of scrimmage and first down). Any defensive player crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped – offsides (5-yards from line of scrimmage and first down). Any defensive player not lined up at the rush line crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is passed, pitched, lateraled or handed off – illegal rush (5-yards from the line of scrimmage and first down). If the offense draws the rusher(s) to jump the seven-yard marker prior to the snap of the ball, that rusher(s) MUST 'reset' behind the rush marker BEFORE the snap in order to be eligible to rush during that play. If they cannot reset in time, jumping the rush is not a penalty until the rusher crosses the line of scrimmage prior to the handoff, pitch, lateral or passed ball.
Special circumstances: Teams are not required to rush the quarterback with the seven second clock in effect. Teams are required to identify their rushers before the play.
Players rushing the quarterback may attempt to block a pass; however, contact to the QB, unless ruled incidental by the official, would result in a roughing the passer penalty. The offense cannot impede the rusher in any way. The rusher has the right to a clear path to the quarterback, regardless of where they line up prior to the snap. The PATH is set pre-snap from the rusher or rushers directly to the QB. PATH does not move once the quarterback moves. If the “path or line” is occupied by a moving offensive player, then it is the offense’s responsibility to avoid the rusher. Any disruption to the rusher’s path and/or contact will result in an impeding the rusher penalty. If the offensive player does not move after the snap, then it is the rusher’s responsibility to go around the offensive player and to avoid contact. A sack occurs if the quarterback’s flags are pulled behind the line of scrimmage. The ball will be spotted where possession of the ball is once the flag is pulled. A Safety is awarded if the sack takes place in the offensive team’s end zone
Flag PullingA legal flag pull takes place when the ball-carrier is in full possession of the ball. Defenders can dive to pull flags but cannot tackle, hold or run through the ball-carrier when pulling flags. It is illegal to attempt to strip or pull the ball from the ball-carrier’s possession at any time. If a player's flag inadvertently falls off during a play while that player has possession, the player is down immediately and the play ends. The ball is placed where the flag lands. If a player who has one or no flags in their belt takes possession of the ball, the play is dead at that spot on the field. A defensive player may not intentionally pull the flags off of a player who is not in possession of the ball. Flag guarding is an attempt by the ball-carrier to obstruct the defender’s access to the flags by stiff arming, dropping the head, hand, ball, arm or shoulder or intentionally covering the flags with the football jersey.
FormationsOffenses must have a minimum of one player on the line of scrimmage (the center) and up to five players on the line of scrimmage. The quarterback must be off the line of scrimmage. Teams may shift formations prior to the snap as long as they are set for at least 1 second before the ball is snapped. One player at a time may go in motion at least 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage.
Movement by a player who is set or a player who runs toward the line of scrimmage while in motion is considered a false start. The center must start the snap the ball on the ground. The snap can be between the legs or from a knee to the center’s side. If the snap is between the legs, it must snap the ball with a rapid and continuous motion between his/her legs to a player in the backfield, and the ball must completely leave his/her hands.
Unsportsmanlike ConductIf the field monitor or referee witnesses any acts of intentional tackling, elbowing, cheap shots, blocking or any unsportsmanlike act, the game will be stopped and the player will be ejected from the game. The decision is made at the referee’s discretion. No appeals will be considered. FOUL PLAY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! Offensive or confrontational language is NOT allowed. Officials have the right to determine offensive language. If offensive or confrontational language occurs, the officials will determine if a warning or immediate ejection is warranted. Players may not physically or verbally abuse any opponent, coach or official. Ball-carriers MUST make an effort to avoid defenders with an established position. Defenders must give free releases off the line of scrimmage to offensive players and are not allowed to run through the ball-carrier when pulling flags. Offensive players may NOT initiate contact at the line of scrimmage with defenders, in the officials judgement. ROUGH PLAY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED Fans must also adhere to good sportsmanship as well: Yell to cheer on your players, not to harass officials or other teams. Keep comments clean and profanity free. Compliment ALL players, not just one child or team.
Fans are required to keep fields safe and kid-friendly and adhere to league requirements for seating: Keep younger kids and equipment such as coolers, chairs and tents a minimum of 10 yards off the field in the end zone area. Stay in the end zone area, not between fields. Dispose of ALL trash in designated trash cans.
Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties: Defense + 10 yards from line of scrimmage and automatic first down. Offense - 10 yards from line of scrimmage and loss of down Two (2) unsportsmanlike penalties on any player or coach in a game is automatic disqualification from that game and may lead to additional discipline
PenaltiesGeneral The referee will call all penalties. Referees determine incidental contact that may result from normal run of play. All penalties will be assessed from the line of scrimmage, except as noted. (Spot fouls) Only the team captain or head coach may ask the referee questions about rule clarification and interpretations. Players may not question calls. Games or halves may not end on a defensive penalty unless the offense declines it. Penalties are assessed live ball then dead ball. Live ball penalties must be assessed before play is considered complete. Penalties will be assessed half the distance to the goal Spot fouls in end zone: Defensive (Ball on one-yard line, first down)/Offensive (Safety)
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