2017 Tinley Park Bobcats Flag Football Rules and Information Page 1 of 6 Revised: August 1, 2017

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1 Page 1 of 6 If not stated here, assume IHSA High School Rules apply. Players-Situations: Each team will play (11) players as available. May use less (or more say 12) if both coaches agree, or your team is less than (11) players. If a team has less than 11, they must play with all their players, with the exception of injury, or excessive heat (coaches must come to agreement). 5 Players on the offensive line of scrimmage at all times unless teams are playing with less than 9 (K-1 st division based on lighter roster numbers). If a team is playing with 7, they should play a minimum of 3 offensive lineman (center and 2 guards). 8, a minimum of 4 (center, 2 guards, and a tackle). Defense needs to include a secondary 2 cornerbacks and minimum 1 safety. All players are eligible. Blocking backs can line up on the line or in the backfield. No center keepers. No deliberate QB sneaks / dives over the center or in the center (A) gap. 5 yard penalty for doing this. QB must run outside of the guard. If the QB is pressured after dropping back to pass he can run upfield. Handoffs are allowed up the center gap. No silent counts (all divisions) a cadence is required on each play. A silent count will result in a five yard penalty and the down will be replayed. No warnings. No man in motion before snap in the K-1 st Grade Group. A five yard penalty will be assessed and the down will be replayed. Motion is allowed in all other divisions. Only 1 player in motion at a time and motion should be laterally or backwards, not toward the line of scrimmage (No Arena Style Running Starts). There must be minimally one yard spacing between the offense and defensive line. A coach may walk down the line to ensure proper spacing presnap. No lining up over center (includes gap between center and guard). A five yard penalty will be assessed and the down will be replayed. Lineup over the guard. Middle Linebacker can line up over center but should safely engage the center and be a minimum of 5 yards from the line of scrimmage at the snap and should not be blitzing / running toward the line of scrimmage. On extra points middle linebacker must be in the end zone if lined up directly over center. On the offensive line, there cannot be more than a 1 yard gap between the center and guards. Tackling will not be tolerated. Any player making a tackle sit out 1 series and his team will be assessed a 10 yd. Penalty. If same player tackles again he will set the equivalent of an entire half. o On all plays the defensive players MUST be attempting to pull the flags. o It is not a tackle as long as the player is going for the flag or attempting to go for the flag even if the defender leaves his feet. o No player may be hit or shoved out of bounds. (10 yard penalty is assessed) o Any out of bounds or sidelines contact will result in a 10 yard penalty. o Defensive Holding (holding jersey to then grab flags) is not tolerated and will result in a 10 yard penalty after first warning. No crack back blocking, no blocking below the waist, and no blocking in the back. No contact will be made to another player s neck or head, this will be considered a tackle. Any intentional stripping of the ball is illegal. If done will result in a 5 yard penalty. All fumbles are dead balls at the spot of the fumble, except for the oldest division (6th 8th).

2 Page 2 of 6 In 6th 8th - Fumbles are live balls behind the line of scrimmage (snap, pitch to RB, QB Option, etc.), In 6th 8th - Fumbles are dead balls when ball carrier advances past the line of scrimmage on any offensive possessions, on dropped kickoffs, on dropped punts, and INT's. Interceptions are a live ball and may be advanced, except in the K-1 division. In the 2nd and 3rd division, if the opposing team intercepts and returns past the 50 (10 yards past the starting point of the 40 yard line), it is considered an interception return for a TD (Pick 6) and an extra point ensues. If the ball is not returned past the 50 (for a TD), then the intercepting team will begin at the 40 just like a regular change of possession. In the 4-5 division, if the opposing team intercepts and returns past the opposing 40 (10 yards past the starting point of the 50 yard line) it is considered an interception return for a TD (Pick 6) and an extra point ensues. If the ball is not returned past the opposing 40 (for a TD), then the intercepting team will begin at the 50 just like a regular change of possession. All interceptions in the K-1st grade group are dead balls at the spot of the interception, resulting in a turnover / change of possession if intercepted by the defensive team. All fumbles are dead balls at the spot of the fumble, not resulting in a turnover / change of possession if recovered by the defensive team. For center exchanges only, we will redo the play if the Center / QB exchange is fumbled in the K-1st division only. Back to back fumbled exchanges will result in a loss of down for this division. If a player has control of the ball and loses his/her flag by accident while running, runner will be ruled down. There will be no more than one minute between possessions. The offense will have a 5 yard penalty assess if not ready after possession change. Inadvertent Whistles unfortunately happen. If they do, player is down at the point of the whistle. We encourage as many plays as possible per game. Please have the offense and defense hustle back to their position/huddle and be ready for the next play. The Defense must be ready before the offense can run another play (good sportsmanship coaches). If the offense is ready to run a play but is waiting for the defense, a delay of game penalty will not be called against the offense. No Flag guarding with arms or stiff arming allowed. Ball will be marked at spot of infraction and there will be a 5 yard penalty assess from that spot. Home team is responsible for chain gang. Coaches are encouraged to assign chain gang in advance. Use common sense on HOT days. Maybe play with 10, and sub players out. If needed, momentarily stop the game to provide the kids with water. No time out will be charged and the play clock will be stopped by the official. It is recommended that coaches have water bottles on the field to provide water between plays. Kick Offs, Punts, Start of Game: K-1st Division: No Punts, No Kickoffs. Start of the game and all new possessions will begin at the 40 yard line. After a score or change of possession, the clock will be stopped and the ball will be spotted at the 40 yard line. The 50 yard line is the opposing team s end zone and being tackled behind the 50 would result in a safety. Defense can choose to decline the safety and ball is spotted at the 1 (aka 49 yard line as 50 is the end zone here) continuing

3 Page 3 of 6 with current sequence of downs (not a new set of downs). No change of possession on a safety, defense is awarded 2 points and offensive team begins with a new set of downs. 2 nd - 3rd Division: No Punts, No Kickoffs. Start of the game and all new possessions will begin at the 40 yard line. After a score or change of possession, the clock will be stopped and the ball will be spotted at the 40 yard line. The 50 yard line is the opposing team s end zone and being tackled behind the 50 would result in a safety. Defense can choose to decline the safety and ball is spotted at the 1 (aka 49 yard line as 50 is the end zone here) continuing with current sequence of downs (not a new set of downs). No change of possession on a safety, defense is awarded 2 points and offensive team begins with a new set of downs. 4 th -5th Division: No Punts, No Kickoffs. Start of the game and all new possessions will begin at the 50 yard line. After a score or change of possession, the clock will be stopped and the ball will be spotted at the 50 yard line. The opposing 40 yard line is the opposing team s end zone and being tackled behind the opposing 40 would result in a safety. Defense can choose to decline the safety and ball is spotted at the 1 (aka opposing team 41 yard line as the opposing 40 is the end zone here) continuing with current sequence of downs (not a new set of downs). No change of possession on a safety, defense is awarded 2 points and offensive team begins with a new set of downs. 6 th -8 th Division: Games start with Kick offs from the kicking teams 40 yard line. The receiving team will line up on the 50 yard line. No onside kicks. No fake punts. Once the ball touches a player from the receiving team, it is a live ball and may be advanced. On a kickoff, if the ball is not touched by the receiving team, the ball is down where the kicking team touches. No turnover. If the ball is fumbled or dropped on a kickoff or punt and recovered by the opposing team, the ball is marked down / dead where the player dropped it, no change of possession. No rushing the punter. The receiving team is allowed to have 2 players back to return the punt. The kicking team may not advance until the ball is kicked. If any player advances before the kick, the play will be stopped by the official and a 5 yard penalty will be assessed. 4 th down will be repeated. Start of Game: Visiting team will call heads or tails. Winner of Coin toss will determine who gets to receive or kick for the 1 st half. Kicking team will choose which direction to kick off. The team that won the coin toss can defer to receive the ball to start the second half. Scoring Touchdowns are worth 6 points. Extra point conversions from the 1-yard line are 1 point. Extra point conversions from the 3-yard line are 2 points. Aggressive Play Football is an aggressive sport even in recreational play. It is up to the coaches and referees to monitor and maintain a level of play and sportsmanship that is acceptable. If you feel a player on your team or the

4 Page 4 of 6 opposition is crossing the line of sportsmanship and/or fair play, the coaches are expected to step in and provide the necessary instruction. Penalties All normal penalties will be accessed with 5 yards in distance and the down will be repeated. If the opposing team accepts the penalty. After the spot of the ball, you will have 30 seconds in which to get the ball snapped. Failure to do so will result in a 5 yard, delay of game penalty. The K-1 st Grade Division will have 45 seconds to get the ball snapped. Failure to do so will result in a 5 yard, delay of game penalty. Our intent is to keep the game moving and to give the kids as many plays as possible. Interference penalties will be spotted at the point of the foul and an automatic first down. Fighting will result in immediate dismissal from the game. All Bobcat Code of Conduct provisions apply. This includes no bullying of any kind (coaches, parents, children). Any and all violations will be assessed and acted upon accordingly by the commissioner. Time Clock-Time Outs Have your players at the field 30 minutes prior to game time. Have your teams ready to start the game and half on time. Those teams waiting to play the next game should stretch/warm up on the side so they are ready to start. Do not wait for the field to clear to begin your preparation. For the K-1 st grade division: The games will consist of (4) 12 minute-running clock quarters. For all other divisions, the games will consist of (4) 15 minute-running clock quarters. The clock will stop at change of possessions, and restart on the official s whistle. Have your players hustle on and off the field, and back to the huddle at all times. The clock will stop on all incompleted passes within the last 2 minutes of each half. Each team will have (3) 60-second time-outs per half. Only take the 60 seconds if necessary. There will be a 2-minute warning in the 2 nd quarter and a 2-minute warning in the 4 th quarter. Half-time will normally be 5 minutes. More time may be needed for half time activities. Players It has always been the intent of the program to involve as many players in the offensive skill positions as possible. By making all offensive players eligible, we hope to see more players involved in the offense. There should be a new quarterback and new running backs each quarter or each possession. It will be the Coach s discretion on how they rotate their players. Coaches In all grade groups there will be no more than 3 coaches on both offense and defense on the field to help instruct the players and get them ready for the next play. Offensive coaches should be at least 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Defensive coaches should be on sidelines in the 6-8 division. In all other divisions, coaches should be at least 15 yards downfield at the time of the snap. Please make the effort to get to the sidelines so you are not disrupting the play. Scoring

5 Page 5 of 6 The main goal of most of your players is to score a touch down. Please do your best to put all your players in a position to score at least once during the season. We understand the nature of some of the skill levels between the teams will vary. We would like to see high scoring games however we do not want lopsided games. Use your coaching skills and find a way to make these games high scoring and fun. If your team is up by 13 or more points, the team trailing by 13 or more can add an additional player (play with 12 vs. 11) until they no longer trail by 13 or more. If the lead is 18 or more, they can add an additional 2 players until they no longer trail by 18 or more. If the losing team does not have additional players to add, then the winning team will sit a player (or 2 if the lead is 18+). Scores Each coach is responsible for ing the score of their game no later than Monday evening to me at brianburke77@hotmail.com. This will be used to determine the standings and Super Bowl pairings. Athletes Character Code As Bobcat coaches, it is your responsibility to educate, model and encourage the positive values and life lessons that make up the Athletes Character Code as adopted by the National Federation of State High Schools (NFHS). Teach and model these six values to all your team members, regardless of age: Be Respectful Be Responsible Be Caring Be Honest Be Fair Be a Good Citizen In the Bobcats Football Program, we ask that you take opportunities to focus and apply these important values hand-in-hand while teaching football techniques and tactics. At your first practice, introduce and talk with your team about the six pillars of the Athletes Character Code and use opportunities during your season to reinforce and develop these important life skills. Thank you for volunteering your valuable time and talent to help teach sportsmanship, teamwork and pride to the kids in the Tinley Park Bobcats organization. These are life lasting lessons that they will learn from and always remember. The Bobcats Code of Conduct below was signed by all coaches and parents at registration. Everyone involved in the Bobcats Football Program is required to follow this code of conduct. BOBCATS CODE OF CONDUCT The primary objective of the Tinley Park Bobcats youth organization is to provide positive experiences and organized fun for the youth of our community through sports/activities. The Bobcat policy has always been FUN FIRST, WINNING SECOND.

6 Page 6 of 6 Recently, and sadly, youth organizations across the country (including the Bobcats) have seen a dramatic rise in unacceptable conduct not by the children participating in the sport/activity but by adult coaches and spectators (i.e., parents, grandparents, etc.). Unfortunately, the Bobcats have had to adopt a formal Code of Conduct that all coaches and parents must agree to abide by prior to the Bobcat s accepting registration of their children for a sport/activity. Specifically: Coaches/Parents are not permitted to intimidate/argue with game officials (umpires, referees, etc.). Use of alcohol, drugs, and profanity are not allowed on any of the fields/facilities during Bobcats youth activities. Behavior that is inappropriate or detracting from the positive experience that the Bobcats must strive to provide our children will not be tolerated. Understanding that any coach/parent in violation of this conduct policy will be subject to: Coach termination of coaching privileges for the immediate season and/or possibly several/indefinite seasons (including other Bobcat sports). Parent will not be allowed at any Bobcat game/event for the remainder of the season and, if the violation warrants such action, their child will be ejected from the program for the remainder of the season without a refund.