FOOTBALL RULES AND PROCEDURES

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2 FOOTBALL RULES AND PROCEDURES Welcome to Northeast Mississippi Football Association established This rulebook will layout the foundation for all teams, players, and participants of the league. Any rules not specified in this document will default to National Federation of High Schools Football rulebook for current league year and Mississippi High School Athletics Association. If questions about rules arise, the league commissioner will be the determining official for any rule interpretations that cannot be answered by the paid officials on the football field. The league will be established with a League Commissioner and one voting representative for each participating program. The League Commissioner shall determine schedule and clarify interpretation of the rules. The League Commissioner does not have a set term limit and will be approved by all member organizations of the league. Failure of the members of the league to vote to remove or retain the League Commissioner prior to January 15th of the league year will result in the League Commissioner being retained as commissioner until resignation or replacement vote after the current season and prior to January 15th of the next league year. MISSION, VALUES, AND RULES DEVELOPMENT MISSION The mission of the league is to teach the fundamentals of football with the understanding that a drive to win is desired but winning at all costs should be frowned upon. Each program shall be developed and organized to ensure, as well as to enhance, the emotional, physical, social and education well-being of children. The program shall promote the ideals of responsibility, hard work, sportsmanship, teamwork, and fellowship in youth while instructing the game of football in a positive and safe environment. The individual growth of the youth in our communities will be enhanced through the spirit of competition, discipline, and fair play. We will accomplish these goals by providing a program that maintains the highest standards and seeking out coaches and other volunteers willing to teach and exemplify these same principals. VALUES Coaches and parents shall seek at all times to promote the development of leadership, character, sportsmanship, tolerance, discipline, athletic ability, and to nurture youth fitness, volunteerism, and a lifelong love of sports. Coaches and parents have the responsibility to show these values through their own actions and promote them within the youth. Failure to adhere to the values of the league will result in removal from the league. Rules and Procedures Page 2

3 CONTENTS Football Rules and Procedures 2 Mission, Values, and Rules Development 2 Mission 2 Values 2 Rules Development 4 Major rule differences vs nfhs 4 Modified Competition Rule (Mercy Rule) 4 Extra Point Options 4 Kick Offs / Punts 4 Clock Operations 4 Ball Sizes 4 Overtime 4 Age Groups 5 Player Eligibility / Uniform Numbering 5 Nose Tackles / Snapper protection / QB Sneak / Alignment 5 Emphasis 6 Concussion Awareness 6 CONCUSSION ACTION PLAN 6 Additional rules/policies 7 Team Size and Rosters 7 Video Recording / Scouting 7 Coaches 8 Decorum 8 Miscellaneous 8 League Dates 9 League Dates 9 Specialty Game Hosting 9 Playoffs 9 Tie Breaker Procedure 9 Season year Team Acknowledgements 10 Rules and Procedures Page 3

4 RULES DEVELOPMENT The rules developed for this league are in place to have a safe playing environment for the players while allowing them the best potential for growth from youth football to organized school football. Any changes to rules in the rulebook must be first referred to the League Commissioner who will determine if the rule change can or will be referred to the program representatives. Any rule change proposed to the representatives will only be adopted with a unanimous vote of the representatives. After the championship game and prior to the jamboree, the Commissioner has the authority to clean up wording in the rules without league approval only to clarify intent of the rule but cannot make any modification that changes intent Rules must be publicly available to all league coaches and representatives. Changes may be proposed following the championship game and prior to May 1 st of the new league year except emergency MAJOR RULE DIFFERENCES VS NFHS MODIFIED COMPETITION RULE (MERCY RULE) Modified Competition Rule if at any point team X leads the game by 30 or more points, the team Y will gain possession of the ball on the opponent 45 yard line and clock shall run continuously regardless of remaining time in the half. Should they fail to score on that drive they will regain possession again on the opponent 45 yard line. If team Y does score and team X no longer leads by 30 points, normal game rules are reinstated. Team Y coaches may opt out of this rule and follow normal rules. EXTRA POINT OPTIONS One Point option: Ball will be placed on the extra point marker (at the 3 yard line as of writing of the rules) and the offense will have one attempt, barring defensive penalty, to score with either a pass or run. Two Point option: Ball will be placed on the 5 yard line and the offense will have one attempt, barring defensive penalty, to score with either a pass or run. KICK OFFS / PUNTS All kickoffs will be simulated. All simulated kicks shall be placed on the team R s 35 yard line All punts will be simulated. Simulated punts will be placed 30 yards from the spot of the beginning of the fourth down, but no closer to the end zone than the 20 yard line of the receiving team. CLOCK OPERATIONS All age groups will play Four quarters Each quarter will be set at 8 minutes The clock will run NFHS regulation. (Officials shall control clock operations with appropriate signals) Maximum of 5 minutes between quarters unless additional time is requested by the officials. No team shall be charged a timeout for official s timeouts or heat breaks as agreed upon with officials prior to games BALL SIZES Game Balls Mighty Mites and Juniors may use Pee-Wee size balls (or Wilson K2 or Spalding Rookie Gear), all Senior teams must use Junior size balls (or Wilson TDJ). OVERTIME The ball will be placed on the 10 yard line and each team has one series to try and score a touchdown. A maximum of two overtime periods will be allowed during all regular season games. Post season games must conclude without a tie. Rules and Procedures Page 4

5 AGE GROUPS Age Groups will be set as follows Mighty Mites: 6 through 8 Juniors: 9-10 Seniors: Cutoff date for ages will be September 1 st. Players turning 9 prior to September 1 st must play for the Juniors; Players turning 11 prior to September 1 st must play for the Seniors; Players turning 13 prior to September 1 st will be ineligible to play. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY / UNIFORM NUMBERING The League will hold one collective Weigh-In at the Jamboree. All players must be weighed-in and verified on the official league roster to prove eligibility. All players shall have jersey numbers assigned prior to the jamboree and jersey numbers cannot change without approval of the commissioner. Coaches shall not promote extreme weight-loss prior to the jamboree as such efforts can lead to serious injury or death of the child. Coaches discovered promoting extreme weight-loss will be banned from any future activity with the league. Players must at least have a pair of gym style shorts on; they cannot weigh in their underwear, spandex shorts, or with a towel to prevent exposure. If weighing in equipment and within 10 pounds over the limit, may re-weigh in shorts. After determination of weight limited eligibility, players shall have an identifying sticker attached to their helmets to indicate eligibility. Players without a sticker on their helmet to indicate eligibility shall not be allowed to play. Mighty Mites weight limit for eligibility is 85 pounds Junior weight limit for eligibility is 115 pounds Senior weight limit for eligibility is 135 pounds There are no uniform numbering rules to indicate eligibility. Unless indicated by an ineligible sticker on their helmet, eligibility shall be determined by position. Players with an ineligible sticker (over weight limits by age group) can only line up on the line for the offense. They cannot be in an eligible position unless they are within two positions of center (ie Center > Guard > Tackle). Players lined up illegally shall be warned before the snap. If the player hasn t moved prior to the snap, the team shall be flagged for a 5 yard illegal formation penalty. NFHS rules give direction over what positions on the field are eligible for carrying or receiving the football during plays. Our weight limits dictate who can be placed in those eligible positions, with the exception of uncovered linemen who will remain ineligible due to weight regardless of position. Typical eligible positions are: Quarterback, Tight End, Halfback, Fullback, Wide Receiver, Wing back, etc. Typical ineligible positions are Center, Guard, and Tackle. Weight restricted players may line up as Tight Ends, but will be considered ineligible regardless of position eligibility rules. NOSE TACKLES / SNAPPER PROTECTION / QB SNEAK / ALIGNMENT Mighty Mite Snapper Protection: For the mighty mites, unless inside the 10 yard line, no player may line up directly over the snapper. Any player over the snapper must be a minimum of 3 yards off the ball and may not target the snapper. Defensive linemen alignment: On Mighty Mites - defensive linemen, except for defensive ends, must line heads up with the offensive linemen unless the offense is inside the defense s 10 yard line or if the offensive linemen have splits in excess of one foot. QB Sneak prohibited when: On the mighty mites, unless inside the 10 yard line, any ball carrier under the snapper must take 2 steps back before running between the guards. This is to prevent unfair advantage due to the lack of a nose guard on defense. All 3 age groups a maximum of 6 players on the line for defense, all other plays shall be 3 yards off the line of scrimmage Rules and Procedures Page 5

6 EMPHASIS Officials MUST penalize players who violate the rules regarding illegal contact. League officials and coaches must support officials who call those fouls. Again, while there will always be contact in football, all unnecessary and illegal contact must be eradicated. CONCUSSION AWARENESS All coaches are required to complete CDC concussion awareness training and certificates of completion must be ed or delivered to the coaching coordinator prior to the team s jamboree game. This is a free training found at the following website: Officials are requested, but not required, to observe for players who have received a blow that may have induced a concussion and send that player to their sidelines for evaluation. A player removed for possible concussion must sit out a minimum of two plays (the time required to do a basic check for concussion symptoms). Coaches must use the following CDC/USA Football checklist to check for symptoms: Signs observed by coaching staff Appears dazed or stunned Is confused about assignment or position Forgets an instruction Is unsure of game, score or opponent Moves clumsily Answers questions slowly Loses consciousness (even briefly) Shows mood, behavior, or personality changes Can t recall events prior to hit or fall Can t recall events after hit or fall Symptoms reported by athlete Headache or pressure in head Nausea or vomiting Balance problems or dizziness Double or blurry vision Sensitivity to light Sensitivity to noise Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy Concentration or memory problems Confusion Does not feel right or is feeling down For more information and safety resources, visit or CONCUSSION ACTION PLAN If you suspect that an athlete has a concussion, you should take the following four steps: 1. Remove him/her from play. Coaches who fail to remove a concussive child from play will be immediately banned from coaching in the League our concern is safety, not wins. 2. Ensure that the athlete is evaluated by an appropriate healthcare professional. Do not try to judge the seriousness of the injury yourself. 3. Inform the athlete s parents or guardians about the possible concussion and give them the fact sheet on concussions if available (may direct to ) 4. Keep the athlete out of play the day of the injury and until an appropriate health care professional says he/she is symptom-free and cleared to return to play (recommend keeping this documented). Rules and Procedures Page 6

7 Know when to call 911 (from Children s Hospital of Philadelphia): There may be times when a more serious injury occurs and emergency medical services should be activated. Although these situations are rare, it is important to recognize them and know what to do. Call 911 in these emergent medical circumstances: Any time a player has a loss of consciousness for any duration. While loss of consciousness is not required for a concussion to occur, it may indicate a more serious brain injury. If a player exhibits any of the following: o Decreased level of consciousness o Drowsiness or cannot be awakened o Irregular breathing o Severe or worsening headaches o Persistent vomiting o Seizures *If a player with a suspected concussion is not sent for immediate medical attention, he or she should be observed continuously until evaluated by a healthcare professional (inform parents to observe as well). Never send a player with a suspected concussion to the bench or any other location by themselves, or without an adult observer present. Any worsening in symptoms or signs may indicate a medical emergency. ADDITIONAL RULES/POLICIES TEAM SIZE AND ROSTERS Rosters shall be submitted prior to the Jamboree for verification and certification. Each team must use the League Roster Form provided by the League. Any other roster sheet will not be accepted. Certified Rosters and Age verification must be available at each game. Coaches shall have emergency contact information for their players available at each game. No players will be added to the rosters after the league weigh-in without approval from the majority of programs. Teams shall not actively recruit from outside their base area. By this we mean driving to other towns to pull the best kids through incentives or coercing of the parents. A child can come play for any team if the child choses to do so, but the coaches shall not make an effort to actively recruit from outside their base area. Accusations of this will be reviewed and if found to have actively recruited a player, that team will forfeit games on the season and officials who actively recruited the player will be banned from future participation within the league. If you are unsure if you are considered to be actively recruiting a player, contact the League Commissioner for clarification. Age verification the initial season will fall to -Official identification cards with child s picture and birthdate -Birth certificate and recent picture Age verification after the initial season will require (unless majority of teams choose to remain with birth certificates) -State issued ID from DMV -or official picture ID that includes birth date with the Commissioner s approval. VIDEO RECORDING / SCOUTING Video recording is allowed by parents and representatives of the team only at their team s games. Coaches are not to be in possession or have access to videos of another team s practices or games at any point. If a coach is offered or comes into possession of videos from another team s practices or games, that coach must immediately notify the Board and turn the video over to the board. Any teams that want to trade video must be approved by all of the teams included in the videos and the Board must be notified of those approvals. Example, if Team A and Team B want to exchange videos of their previous games (Team A vs. Team C and Team B vs. Team D), Team C and Team D must agree to the exchange as well as Team A and Team B. Scouting of games is not banned as long as it does not include video recordings. Scouting of practices is banned and can result in a coach suspension and/or forfeiture of game. Rules and Procedures Page 7

8 COACHES At a minimum, all head coaches must attend the coaching rules clinic during the summer prior to league activities. Assistant coaches are welcome to attend. Only two coaches per team are allowed on the field during play. Mighty Mites may have three with one focused on aligning kids. Each program must submit a list of their internally approved coaches to the commissioner prior to the jamboree. Every list will be sent to each program in the league. Programs shall ensure their coaches do not have felonies or sex offenses before approving them. Any coach ejected from any game will need to be approved by the league before returning as a coach in any capacity including but not limited to meetings, workouts, practice and games. Coaches returning to those activities before the league issues approval to return will be barred from any future participation within the league. Any coach that becomes physical with a parent, player, or official before, during, or after a game or practice will be immediately suspended until reviewed by the League. This applies even if the incident is in self-defense. Coaches should at all times maintain a level of restraint and make an effort to walk away in order to ensure a good example is being set for the players. Failure of the program to inform the league of such incidents or ejections may result in forfeiture of the game or additional penalties if warranted. Disciplinary actions taken for coach related issues will be taken with the coach in question if the issue is individual, but additional actions may be taken against the program if the issues are determined to be systematic or tied to the program s actions/culture. DECORUM No abusive yelling or taunting, profanity, fighting or use of tobacco or alcoholic products will be tolerated. In the discretion of the officials, players or coaches may be ejected. Parents may be ejected at the discretion of league representatives or officials if necessary. Any physical conflicts between any adult individuals at any game shall warrant the immediate notification of law enforcement, regardless of whether or not any individual involved wishes to file charges. MISCELLANEOUS Home Teams must supply 3 high school referees for season league games, but provide 4 referees for playoffs and championships. Referees will be scheduled by the league commissioner. Any attempt by a coach or team to modify stickers or to circumvent player eligibility will forfeit the rights to any post-season play. Additional penalties may result on a case by case basis. Every player must have a different number on their jersey and all jerseys must match (exceptions may be made on a case by case basis if approved by opposing league representative. For instances of forgotten/lost jerseys the exception does not apply to having multiple players of the same number throughout the season). All players must have insurance - it is each program s responsibility to ensure their players have insurance either provided by the parents or the program itself. The league does not require each program to provide insurance, only to verify each player has insurance. Teams found to ignore this rule will be removed from participation within the league. Start times for games will be determined by the home team. There is no set fee for participation within the league; however, teams shall share responsibility for any league expenses approved by the reps prior to using the expense. This includes league materials if needed, website if used, and championship trophies. If sponsorship is gained for league expenses to include championship trophy the championship game will be SponsorName Bowl Rules and Procedures Page 8

9 LEAGUE DATES LEAGUE DATES League Dates shall be sent to teams in by the end of July for the initial season and the end of June for each subsequent season SPECIALTY GAME HOSTING Specialty games will be selected by lot (drawing of straws or pieces of paper with years). Jamboree hosts shall attempt to have access to an indoor facility for parent/coach briefings as well as weigh-in. The league commissioner will send the hosting order to teams with the league dates. PLAYOFFS - Team 1 vs Team 4 - Team 2 vs Team 3 - Winners advance to the championship game TIE BREAKER PROCEDURE If there is a tie within a division ties broken in the following manner: - League Record - Head to Head - Point differential capped at 24 points per game - Wild-card matchup Team A and Team B finish with a Division record 2-2 for the 2 nd playoff position. If either team beat the other, that team would advance. If they were to tie each other after 2 overtimes, their league record would break the tie. If they were to both finish 4-4 in the league, then we would use point differential. If point differential were to tie, the two teams would play in a wild-card matchup the morning of the playoffs before any other games are played, the winner of that game would play their next playoff game at the conclusion of the day to allow rest between games. Point differential example (losses count as 0 points): Team A Team B Game Game Game Game Game T Game T Game Game Game Game Game Game Game Game Game Game Total: 60 Total: 60 Rules and Procedures Page 9

10 SEASON YEAR TEAM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Each Team entering the North East Mississippi Football Association will have a team representative to sign below acknowledging and agreeing to abide by the league rules and structure. Failure of a team to acknowledge below will prevent that team from participation. Team Name (print) Rep Name (print) Signature Date Amory Jeremy Adams *signed original on file* Caledonia Michael T. Spears *signed original on file* Itawamba Steven Martinez *signed original on file* Hamilton Billy Fikes *signed original on file* Jason D. Chrest League Commissioner 2017 League Year Please note that if your pages are not watermarked the rules are not final and approved Rules and Procedures Page 10