Skip to main content

First-time flag football coach quick reference card

This free card puts what a first-time flag football coach needs on one printed page: six basic rules, a 60-minute practice plan, an 8-item game day checklist and six common penalties with their yardage. Print it in large type, fold it once, and keep it in your back pocket on the sideline.

Rules and penalty yardage come from the NFL FLAG and FNL rulebooks. Where leagues differ, the card says varies by league, so check your own league's rules too.

By Jay Fraser. Published .

Page one of the printable First-Time Flag Football Coach Quick Reference Card
Download PDFFree, US Letter, prints on one page. No account needed.

How to use this sheet

  1. 1Read the rules block with your players at the first practice.
  2. 2Run the practice plan as written for the first two weeks, then adjust.
  3. 3Tick the game day checklist the night before and again at the field.
  4. 4Keep the penalties block handy so you can explain a call to a player.

New to coaching? Start with flag football coaching basics. Need plays to track? Open the free 6v6 FNL playbook.

Flag50 Coach

Or skip the paper.

Flag50 Coach scores every play and builds this sheet for you, free. Parents follow live from one link.

Launching spring 2027.

See the playbook →

Frequently asked questions

Q01How do I split a 60-minute flag football practice?+

Ten minutes of flag tag to warm up, ten on one skill, fifteen installing one play at walking speed, twenty of scrimmage with your own plays, and five for a fun finish. Keep every player moving instead of waiting in lines.

Q02What do I need to bring to a flag football game?+

Flag belts, a ball, the roster with jersey numbers, mouthguards, water, your play calls or wristbands, a first aid kit, and a stat sheet or scorer. The card has all eight as a checklist.

Q03How many yards is a flag guarding penalty?+

Under NFL FLAG and FNL rules it is 5 yards and a loss of down. High school yardage varies by state; check your state adopted rulebook.

More free printables

All of them on one page: free flag football resources for coaches.

Sources