League Rulebook

01Game Setup & Flow

1. At 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.
2. 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. Teams automatically switch sides of the field, and the team that started the game with possession begins the 2nd half on defense.
3. 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 three (3) downs to score a touchdown.
   • If the offensive team fails to cross midfield after 3rd down and elects to "punt" on 4th down, possession changes and the opposing team starts a new possession from its own 5-yard line. If the offense goes for it on 4th down and does not cross midfield, the opposing team starts from the spot where 4th down ended.
   • Any time there is a 'Punt or Play' decision on 4th or 3rd down, the referee will ask the offense's Head Coach to declare 'Punt or Play.' The coach must make an immediate decision or risk a delay-of-game penalty.
   • Teams may use a timeout to change the declaration of "Play" at any time prior to the expiration of the play clock.
   • After crossing midfield, if the offense fails to score on 3rd down, the ball changes possession and the new offensive team starts at its 5-yard line.

02Terminology

Boundary Lines

The outer lines marking the playing field's perimeter, including sidelines and end zones.

Line of Scrimmage (LOS)

An imaginary line running through the point of the football and across the width of the field.

Line-to-Gain

The yard line the offense must reach for a first down.

Rush Line

An imaginary line 7 yards from the line of scrimmage on the defense's side.

Offense

The team with possession of the ball.

Defense

The team trying to stop the offense and regain possession.

Passer

Any offensive player who throws the ball, not just the quarterback.

Rusher

The defensive player who starts from the rush line and tries to pressure the quarterback by either pulling flags or blocking passes.

Live Ball

The period of time that the play is in action. Live-ball penalties are considered part of the play and must be enforced before the down is complete.

Dead Ball

The time between plays when no action is occurring.

Whistle

Official's signal to stop play for timeouts, end of plays, or game periods.

Inadvertent Whistle

An official's whistle that is sounded in error.

Charging

When a ball-carrier illegally runs directly into a set defensive player, including leading with the head or making contact with the shoulder, forearm, or chest.

Flag Guarding

An illegal act where the ball-carrier tries to block defenders from pulling their flags — stiff-arming, dropping the elbow or head, or using the ball as a shield.

Shovel Pass

A legal forward pass across the LOS (underhand, backhand, or by pushing the ball forward).

Lateral

A backward or parallel toss of the ball by the ball-carrier.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Confrontational or offensive behavior or language.

03Equipment Checklist

1. All 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.
2. Players must wear cleats. Cleats with exposed metal are not allowed.
3. Players may tape their forearms, hands, and fingers. Players may wear gloves, elbow pads, and knee pads. Braces with exposed metal are not allowed.
4. Players must remove all jewelry and hats. Headbands or winter beanies are allowed.
5. Players must wear soft-shell helmets, halos, and sunglasses secured at all times while on the field. Prescription glasses are permitted without a strap. Syzmik is recognized as the official safety headgear.
6. Players' jerseys must be tucked into shorts or pants if they hang below the belt line.
7. We recommend players wear shorts or pants without pockets or belt loops. Games will not be delayed for a player to tape their pockets.
8. Participants must bring their own official NFL FLAG belts and mouth guards to the field. Extra belts and mouth guards may be available for purchase. Flag belts and flags cannot be the same color as the player’s shorts or pants.
9. NFL FLAG footballs will be provided.
10. League & tournament play: electronic communication between any player and their coach or spectators is prohibited. Violations result in immediate disqualification and possible additional discipline.

• Tournament play: NFL FLAG belts and flags are issued to all teams at check-in and must be worn for all games — no exceptions. Teams not equipment-compliant at game time will have their timeouts used (up to 3) for the time taken to get compliant.
• Tournament play: black NFL FLAG footballs are used for Boys 8U & Girls 10U only; all other divisions use the white NFL FLAG football.
• Tournament play: all players must be checked by the game officials prior to the start of every game or they are ineligible to play.

04The Field

Two standard field size options: Option A is 25 yards wide × 70 yards long with 10-yard end zones; Option B is 25 yards wide × 64 yards long with 7-yard end zones.

1. Both field layouts have a midfield line-to-gain for a first down. 'No Run Zones' are located 5 yards prior to midfield and 5 yards prior to the opponent's end zone.
2. Stepping on the boundary line is considered out of bounds.
3. 'No Run' Zones prevent run plays: while in a No Run Zone, teams cannot run the ball across the line of scrimmage — all plays must result in a forward pass across the LOS.
4. The referee spots the ball in the middle of the field prior to the 'Ready to Play' whistle. The ball may not be closer than 10 yards to any sideline.

05Timing & Overtime

Regular season games are played on a 48-minute continuous clock with two 24-minute halves, unless one team gains a 35-point advantage, which ends the game (teams can agree to continue without changing the score). The clock stops for halftime, injuries, and at the officials’ discretion. Halftime is 1 minute.

1. Regular season play: once the ball is spotted, a team has 30 seconds to snap the ball.
2. Regular season play: teams have two 30-second timeouts per half. They do not carry over.
3. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, overtime determines the winner. The home team calls the coin toss to decide who chooses offense or defense first; the referee determines which end of the field overtime is played at.
   • 1st overtime: each team gets one play from the defense’s 5-yard line for one point or the 10-yard line for two points. Each team may choose 1 or 2 points in the first overtime only. If the second team fails to beat or match the first, the game is over.
   • Starting with the 2nd overtime, both teams must attempt a 2-point conversion from the 10-yard line.
   • Starting with the 3rd overtime, each team gets one play from the 5-yard line going out from the end zone; the team with the most yards wins and is awarded 1 point.
   • The final score includes all points scored in overtime. All regulation rules and penalties remain in effect.
   • There are no timeouts in overtime. Each team gets one coaches' challenge for the entire overtime session — it must concern a misapplication of a rule, not a judgment call.
   • Interceptions are returnable for a score in overtime and are worth 2 points. An interception returned for a score in the 1st or 2nd overtime ends the game; an interception advanced in the 3rd overtime ends the game.

06Scoring

1. Touchdown: 6 points.
2. Point after touchdown (PAT): 1 point from the 5-yard line or 2 points from the 10-yard line.
   • A 1-point extra point is pass only; a 2-point extra point can be a run or pass.
3. Interceptions returned for scores during a regulation scrimmage down are worth 6 points. Interceptions returned on extra-point conversions or in overtime are worth 2 points.
4. Safety: 2 points.
   • A safety occurs when the ball-carrier is declared down in their own end zone — flags pulled, a flag falls out, stepping out of bounds, a knee or arm touching the ground, a fumble in the end zone, or a snapped ball landing in or beyond the end zone.
5. A team that scores a touchdown must declare a 1-point (5-yard line) or 2-point (10-yard line) conversion attempt. Changing the decision requires a charged timeout, and a decision cannot be changed after a penalty.
6. Regular season play: when one team leads by 35 points or more, the game is over. Tournament play: the margin is 28 points.
7. Forfeits are scored 35–0 (tournament play: 28–0).
8. Coaches, officials, and the scorekeeper must verify the score sheet. If a coach does not verify before leaving the field, the scorekeeper notes it and the score is final.

07Coaching Guidelines

1. Coaches are expected to adhere to NFL FLAG philosophies, coaching guidelines, and the code of conduct.
2. Coaches are permitted to coach from the sideline (see the grade-based guidelines for 8U/7U/6U allowances).
   • All team photographers, managers, position coaches, team parents, and fans must remain off the playing field in the designated viewing area.
   • Coaches are responsible for the conduct of their fans and all associated team members in their designated area.
3. Tournament play:
   • Only two coaches are permitted on the sideline to coach.
   • Coaches must remain on the sideline except to attend to an injured player.
   • Teams may huddle on the sideline with their coach for a play call, but the play clock does not stop once the ball is signaled 'Ready for Play.'

08Live Ball / Dead Ball

1. The ball is live at the snap and remains live until the official whistles it dead.
2. The official will indicate the neutral zone and line of scrimmage.
   • It is an automatic dead-ball foul if any player on offense or defense enters the neutral zone. Officials may give a courtesy neutral-zone notification so players can reset.
3. A player who gains possession in the air is considered inbounds as long as the first foot (or a body part other than the hand) contacts the ground in the field of play while maintaining possession.
4. Substitutions may be made during any dead-ball period.
5. The defense may not simulate offensive signals to confuse the offense while the quarterback is calling signals. Doing so — or failing to return five eligible players to the field after halftime — results in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Head Coach.
6. Any official can whistle the play dead. Play is ruled dead when:
   • The ball hits the ground (on a snap, backward pitch, or lateral, the ball is placed where it hit the ground).
   • 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, shin, leg, forearm, or arm hits the ground.
   • The ball-carrier's flag falls out.
   • A receiver catches the ball while in possession of one or zero flags.
   • The 7-second pass clock expires.
   • An inadvertent whistle sounds.
   • The ball-carrier leaves their feet to dive, jump, or hurdle a player (exception: a player can dive to catch a pass or pull a flag).
7. Fumbles / loss of possession: ground contact must be made for the play to be dead at that spot. A fumble is a loss of possession resulting in the ball contacting the ground.
8. If an inadvertent whistle occurs, the team in possession has two options:
   • Take the ball where the whistle blew, with the down counting.
   • Replay the down from the original line of scrimmage.
   • If it occurs on the last play of a half or game, the offense is awarded one untimed down with the same two options.
9. A team may use a timeout to question an official's rule interpretation. If the ruling is correct, the timeout is charged; if not, the timeout is not charged and the proper ruling is enforced.

09The Running Game

1. The ball is spotted where the ball is when the flag is pulled.
2. The quarterback cannot directly run with the ball across the line of scrimmage. The QB is the player who receives the snap under center or in shotgun. The QB is allowed to scramble past the LOS and advance the ball if being blitzed.
3. Direct handoffs, pitches, and laterals are permitted behind the line of scrimmage only.
   • "Center sneak" plays are not allowed — the QB may not hand off, 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 LOS.
   • Once a handoff, backward pass, pitch, or lateral occurs, the 7-second passing clock is eliminated and all defensive players are eligible to rush.
4. A "legal handoff" is a total loss of possession directly from one offensive player to another.
5. Teams may not run in the 'No Run Zones' — each drive approaches two: one 5 yards before midfield and one 5 yards before the goal line.
6. Runners may not jump, leap, or hurdle while advancing the ball (officials' judgment). The play is blown dead and spotted where it occurred.
7. Ball-carriers may leave their feet for spins, jump cuts, QB passes, or to clearly avoid a collision — play continues. Illegal contact made while leaving the ground may still be penalized.
8. No blocking or "screening" is allowed at any time.
9. Offensive players near the ball-carrier must stop their motion once the ball crosses the LOS — no running with the ball-carrier.
10. Flag obstruction: jerseys must be tucked in before play begins, and flags must sit on the player's hips free from obstruction. Deliberately obstructed flags are flag guarding.
11. Once the ball is advanced beyond the LOS, the current ball-carrier is the only player allowed to possess the ball until the play is dead.

10Passing

1. Only one forward pass, thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, is permitted each offensive play. The ball must be released before crossing the LOS. Unlimited backward passes are allowed behind the LOS.
   • There is no intentional grounding — the QB may throw the ball anywhere across the LOS to avoid a sack.
   • Forward passes that do not cross the LOS are illegal forward passes unless touched by a defender.
2. Shovel passes are allowed; they must be forward passes from behind the LOS, received beyond the LOS.
3. The quarterback has a 7-second pass clock. If a pass is not thrown within 7 seconds, the play is dead, the down counts, and the ball returns to the LOS. Once the ball is handed off, pitched, or lateraled behind the LOS, the 7-second rule no longer applies.
   • If the QB is standing in the end zone when the 7-second clock expires, the ball returns to the LOS for the next down.
   • If the quarterback throws the ball and then catches it, the play is dead and treated as an incomplete pass.

11Receiving

1. All players are eligible to receive passes (including the quarterback if the ball has been handed off, pitched, or lateraled behind the LOS).
2. A player must have at least one foot or other body part inbounds, contacting the ground first with possession.
3. On simultaneous possession by an offensive and defensive player, possession is awarded to the offense.
4. Interceptions are returnable: 6 points if returned for a score during regular play, 2 points on conversions and in overtime.

12Rushing the Passer

1. All players who rush the passer must start a minimum of 7 yards from the line of scrimmage at the snap. Up to two players can rush the quarterback. Rushers must identify themselves by raising a hand before the snap and must rush immediately after the snap — a delayed rush is not permitted. Players not rushing may defend the LOS.
   • Regular season league play, 8U/7U/6U & 1st–3rd grade divisions: defenders may not rush the passer.
   • Tournament play, 8U and up: rushers may rush the passer at the snap from the 7-yard rush line.
2. Once the ball is handed off, pitched, or lateraled behind the LOS, all defenders may cross the LOS to defend and pull flags.
3. A special marker or the official designates the rush line 7 yards from the LOS. A legal rush is any rush by the designated rushers from 7 yards, or a rush from anywhere after a handoff, pitch, or backward pass. A penalty may be called if:
   • The rusher leaves the rush line before the snap and crosses the LOS before a handoff, pitch, lateral, or pass — illegal rush (+5 yards, first down).
   • Any defensive player crosses the LOS before the snap — encroachment (+5 yards, first down).
   • Any defender not on the rush line crosses the LOS before the ball is passed, pitched, lateraled, or handed off — illegal rush (+5 yards, first down).
   • If the offense draws the identified rusher(s) across the 7-yard marker before the snap, the rusher(s) cannot legally rush. Teams are never required to rush the quarterback while the 7-second clock is in effect.
4. Rushers may attempt to block a pass; contact with the QB (unless ruled incidental) results in a roughing-the-passer penalty.
5. The offense cannot impede the rusher's path to the quarterback. The path is set pre-snap from the rusher directly to the QB and does not move once the QB moves. Disrupting the path results in an 'impeding the rusher' penalty; if the offensive player does not move after the snap, the rusher must avoid the contact.
6. A sack occurs when the quarterback's flags are pulled behind the LOS; the ball is spotted where possession is at the flag pull. A flag pull in the offense's end zone is a 2-point safety.

13Flag Pulling

1. A legal flag pull takes place when the ball-carrier is in full possession of the ball.
2. Defenders can dive to pull flags but cannot tackle, hold, or run through the ball-carrier.
3. It is illegal to attempt to strip or pull the ball from the ball-carrier's possession at any time.
4. If a player's flag inadvertently falls off during a play while in possession, the player is down immediately and the ball is placed where the flag lands.
5. If a player with one or no flags takes possession of the ball, the play is dead at that spot.
6. A defender may not intentionally pull the flags off a player who is not in possession of the ball.
7. Flag guarding — obstructing the defender’s access to the flags by stiff-arming, dropping the head, hand, ball, arm, or shoulder, or covering the flags with the jersey — is illegal.

14Formations

1. Offenses must have a minimum of one player on the line of scrimmage (the center) and up to four players on the LOS. The quarterback must be off the LOS.
2. Movement simulating the snap by a set player is a false start.
3. The center must snap the ball with a rapid, continuous motion between their legs to a player in the backfield, and the ball must completely leave their hands.
   • Only one player may be in motion at the snap; the player must be off the LOS with all motion parallel or backward to the LOS.
   • Players may shift positions at any time but must reset for 1 second prior to the snap.

15Sportsmanship & Conduct

Intentional physical play will not be permitted.

1. Any act of intentional tackling, elbowing, cheap shots, blocking, or other unsportsmanlike acts stops the game and ejects the player, at the officials’ discretion. No appeals are considered.
2. Offensive or confrontational language is not allowed. Officials determine offensive language, penalize unsportsmanlike conduct, and decide if an ejection is warranted.
3. Players and coaches may not physically or verbally abuse any opponent, coach, or official.
4. Ball-carriers must make an effort to avoid defenders with an established position.
5. Defenders must give free releases off the LOS and may not run through the ball-carrier when pulling flags. Offensive players may not initiate contact at the LOS.
6. Fans must also adhere to good sportsmanship and keep fields safe and kid-friendly:
   • Cheer for your players only — do not harass officials or the opposing team; keep comments clean and profanity-free; compliment all players.
   • Keep younger kids and equipment (coolers, chairs, 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 cans.
7. Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties: defensive +10 yards from the dead-ball spot and an automatic first down; offensive −10 yards from the dead-ball spot and a loss of down. Two unsportsmanlike penalties on any player or coach in a game result in disqualification and possible additional discipline.

16Penalties

The game officials administer all penalties and determine incidental contact in the normal run of play. All penalties are assessed from the line of scrimmage except spot fouls.

• Only the team captain or head coach may ask the referee about rule clarifications and interpretations.
• 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 the play is complete.
• Penalties are assessed half the distance to the goal when the yardage exceeds half the distance.
• Spot fouls administered in the end zone: defensive — ball on the one-yard line, first down; offensive — safety.

178U, 7U & 6U / Grade-Based Guidelines

NFL FLAG recommended adjustments, proven successful among RCX grade-based NFL FLAG leagues nationwide, to assist with teaching the game in younger age groups.

1. 8U / 2nd & 3rd grade:
   • 'No Run' zones are eliminated — teams may run anywhere on the field (8U tournament play: No Run Zones are in effect).
   • Defenders may not rush the passer unless a legal handoff is executed in the backfield (regular season league play only).
   • One coach per team is permitted on the field pre-snap to help their players but must be off the field prior to the snap (tournament play: coaches must remain on the sidelines).
2. 7U & 6U / 1st grade and below:
   • 'No Run' zones are eliminated — teams may run the ball anywhere on the field.
   • Defenders may not rush the passer unless a legal handoff is executed in the backfield.
   • One coach per team is permitted on the field pre- and post-snap, at a safe distance after the snap.
   • If the ball touches the ground during the initial center-QB exchange, the play is a 'do over' with no loss of down, once per down; a second consecutive occurrence consumes the down.
   • Defenders must line up at least 5 yards from the LOS prior to the snap (3 yards when the ball is spotted on or inside the 5-yard line).