Co-ed Flag Football Rules

Transcription

1 Co-ed Flag Football Rules OBJECTIVE Every effort has been made by rule and appropriate penalty to eliminate contact, roughness, injury, unfair tactics and unsportsmanlike conduct. Rules alone, however, cannot accomplish this end without the thorough understanding of the basic objectives of football. The complete cooperation of all coaches, players and referees is vital to the continued success of WAKA Social Sports Flag Football. I. OVERVIEW a. Minimum of 5 female and 5 males, 14 players total. Maximum of 12 males and 18 total players on a roster. b. 8 Players on the field, 5 males/3 females You can play with a minimum of 6 players, at least 2 females must be on the field and at no point can there be more than 5 males. c. Each week teams will be asked to provide players to referee games alongside head refs d. Each player on the field (8 offensive and 8 defensive) must wear official FC Sports Football Flag Belt with 3 flags provided by the league. e. Time of game is two 20 minute halves. There will be stopped time for the final two minutes of the second half. f. First downs are obtained by crossing your own 20 yd line, midfield and opponent s 20 yd line. g. 6 points for a male touchdowns, 8 points for a Female touchdown and a choice of 1 or 2 extra points on PAT s (5 yds for 1Pt., 10 yds for 2Pts). h. Teams must use a female as an operative play within 3 consecutive downs. (will be called out as a female or closed play) An open play will be called if a female play is not required. i. No team can win by more than 50 points. Once the winning team is up by 50 points, the losing team can call the game. If the losing decides to continue the game but does not score on their next drive, the winning team can now call the game. Both teams can choose to keep playing but points are NOT banked. j. Running clock with the exception of timeouts and the final two minutes of the second half. k. Tiebreaker: There are no regular season tiebreakers; any game finished in a tie will be recorded as a tie. Tied playoff games will follow college rules. l. Head Referee is responsible for counting out the rush count, loudly counting to 4. i. The rush count will be as follows: , , , , GO!! Defense may rush on the word Go. m. There is no contact at or behind the line of scrimmage. n. Receivers only need one foot inbounds to record a catch. II. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY a. Players must be 21 years of age or older to participate. 1

2 b. Eligible players are those players who are registered for the league and on the team roster. c. All eligible players must wear their league T-shirt issued for that current season. d. At all times the responsibility of player eligibility will rest with the Team Captain. e. It is up to Team Captains to play ALL of their players. Please do not hold players out of a game. Remember the purpose of the league. f. If a Team Captain KNOWINGLY sneaks an ineligible player into a game at any time, the game played with the ineligible player will automatically be forfeited. If this violation occurs during the playoffs, the team is automatically disqualified from continuing post-season play. g. Per WAKA policy SUBS are not allowed. All players must be on your roster in order to be eligible to play. III. EQUIPMENT a. FLAGS: Each player on the field (8 offensive and 8 defensive) will have official FC Sports Football Flag Belt with 3 flags provided by the league. The wearing of any type Flag other than those provided by the league is strictly prohibited. All flags will be worn at the waist, one on each side, and one down the back. The flag belt itself must be worn over your shirt and snug around the waist to eliminate being turned partially around the waist during an attempted de-flagging. If a player s flag falls off, he is still live until which time he is touched with at least one hand, or the other flag is pulled. Failure to start a play wearing a belt, and becoming a ball carrier will result in a penalty for ineligible ball carrier. The penalty is 5 yards and replay of down. b. PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT: The use of any unyielding hard substances on the hand, wrist, forearm or elbow, no matter how covered or padded, will not be permitted. Padded knee braces or any soft protective pad is permissible. c. THE FOOTBALL: Teams can either play with their regulation size ball or with the ball offered by the league. d. UNIFORMS: All players must wear the officially issued CLUBWAKA T-shirt for the current season and league. e. No article of clothing may cover any portion of a player s flag. See penalties. f. All players must wear shoes. Removable metal cleats, track spikes, or any shoes that have steel or metal tips are prohibited. g. No necklaces, bracelets or hoop earrings may be worn on any player s neck, arms or ears. Stud earrings are the exception. See penalties. IV. PENALTIES a. A penalty is decided based on greater advantage to team receiving yards. b. If the spot foul brings the ball back behind a line to gain crossed on the play, line to gain will be forfeited. c. General i. If an article of clothing is covering your flags, you will be penalized 5 yards from previous line of scrimmage and replay of down. ii. If you walk onto the field with any of the prohibited jewelry, you must take it off and sit out the following play. iii. After a penalty is called, only the captains may discuss it with the referees. iv. Ineligible player- Forfeit (2.f). v. Playing with a concussion- Forfeit (6.c). vi. Rough play and cursing- warning then ejection from game AND season (7). 2 vii. viii. Too many players- 5 yards, replay the down (9.c). Offsetting penalties 1. If offsetting fouls occur during a down while the ball is ready for play, that down shall be repeated. 2. If each team fouls during a down in which there is a change of team possession, the team gaining possession may return the ball,

3 providing its foul was not prior to the final change of possession and it declined that penalty for its opponent s foul. d. Offensive Penalties i. Ineligible ball carrier- 5 yards, replay the down (3.a). ii. Delay of game- dead ball, 5 yards (13.a). iii. Offsides- dead ball, 5 yards (14.d). iv. Illegal offensive screen- 15 yards, loss of down (16.a). v. Offensive downfield contact- 15 yards, loss of down (16.a). vi. Interference (blocking)- 15 yards, loss of down (16.a). vii. Charging-10 yards, from the spot of the foul 19.i). viii. Ineligible receiver- 5 yards, replay the down (20.f). ix. Offensive Pass interference- 15 yards, loss of down (21.i). x. Offensive flagrant/excessive contact- 15 yards, loss of down (22.b). xi. Ball carrier penalty- 10 yards, from the spot of the foul (26.g). xii. Flag guarding- 10 yards, from the spot of the foul (23.b). xiii. Quick kicks- 10 yards, replay down. xiv. Female operative play penalties- 5 yards, loss of down (34.e). e. Defensive i. Encroachment- dead ball, 5 yards (14.e). ii. Defensive contact -10 yards, from spot of foul, automatic 1st down (17.l). iii. Defensive Rushing penalties- 10 yards, automatic 1st down(17.1). iv. Stripping the ball -10 yards, from the spot of the foul (21.c). v. Defensive pass interference -15 yards, from line of scrimmage or spot of foul*, automatic 1st down (21.f-h). vi. Defensive flagrant/excessive contact 15 yards, from the spot of foul or line of scrimmage, automatic 1st down (22.a). vii. Premature flag removal- 10 yards, from spot of foul or line of scrimmage* (23.a) viii. ix. Holding - 10 yards, from end of run (24.d) Illegal contact/pushing/tackling- 15 yards, from spot or from the line of scrimmage*, possible TD awarded (34). V. START OF PLAY (GAME START, AFTER HALF and AFTER SCORING PLAYS) a. The start of the game begins with the official Rock, Paper, Scissors match (one and done.) Winner receives the choice of offense or defense or selection of which side they would like to start on. b. The beginning of each half will start at the offensive team s own 20 yard line. Play shall begin 1st down and Line to Gain. After each score or PAT, the ball shall be put into play by placing the ball on the 20 yd line of the offensive team. Play shall begin 1st down and Line to Gain. There are no kickoffs. VI. PLAYER INJURIES a. Injured players, who require a Referee timeout in order to be administered to, must leave the playing field (assisted or unassisted) as soon as they are able. They may NOT return to the playing field until after the completion of the next play from scrimmage. Note: If a player s injury does not require Referee or immediate medical attention the player is free to make his or her own choice on whether to leave the playing field. b. Any player who is bleeding MUST leave the playing field immediately. A bleeding player may not return to the playing field until their bleeding has been stopped, is under control, and is securely covered by a bandage, gauze, or other applicable medical covering. c. If the Coordinator or a Head Ref fears a player may have sustained a concussion, they have the power to remove the player from the game. If a removed player from 3

4 the game returns without permission from the Coordinator of the league, their actions will result in a forfeit of the game. VII. PLAYER EJECTION a. Players receiving a Rough Play or Cursing game penalty will be issued an ejection warning. i. Players receiving (2) Rough Play or Cursing game penalties will be ejected from the game. ii. Ejected player(s) must completely leave the field and parking area. iii. Any player ejected for fighting is ineligible for the remainder of the season. VIII.FORFEITS a. Teams have 10 minutes past the scheduled start time to field a legal team. Shorthanded teams may play a legal game with 6 players (at least 2 of each gender). At the end of the coin toss, the Head Ref will sound an initial game-time warning whistle and announce Captains, take the field. The game clock starts 2 minutes immediately following the warning whistle. b. At the end of the 2-minute game-time warning, the Referee will sound the Play Ball whistle. c. Any team not ready to field a minimum team at the sound of the Play Ball whistle will automatically forfeit said game. d. Opposing captains ARE NOT allowed to override a forfeit. If a team does not have the required players it is ruled a forfeit. i. Refs are still required to ref players if they play. e. All forfeits will be recorded as a 25-0 score. f. Forfeited games will not negatively affect the post-season eligibility of any teams that win by forfeit. IX. SUBSTITUTIONS a. No incoming substitutions shall be made on the field when the ball is in play. b. Substitutions must be made on the same sideline the entire game. c. If the offensive team makes a substitution, they must allow the defense time to make their substitution (refs must hold play until all substitutions are completed). Any other defensive subs are the risk of the defense and must be completed prior to the snap of the ball. Too many players on the field results in 5 yard penalty and a replay of the down. X. LENGTH OF GAMES a. Games are played in two 20-minute halves with one 5-minute half-time break. b. The 2 minute warning will be whistled by the line referee at the last 2 minutes of each half. c. The clock will not stop outside the final two minute warning for touchdowns. d. The clock will only stop for timeouts and injuries in the first half. e. In the last 2 minutes of the 2nd half, the clock will stop on all dead balls, incompletions, touchdowns and out of bounds. f. If a team is losing by 20 or more points at the 2 minute warning in the 2nd half, the clock doesn t stop, unless the score margin returns to 19 points or less. g. The Team Captain or QB may request the amount of time left in the game from the referees at any time. XI. TIME OUTS a. Each team will be given three timeouts per half. Unused timeouts do NOT carry over to the next half. b. If a team declares a PUNT or PAT choice and then changes their mind, they must use a timeout to change the decision. c. If a team has no timeouts remaining, the original PUNT or PAT decision stands. XII. HALFTIME 4

5 a. Halftime will last a maximum of 5 minutes. Halftime may be reduced to less than 5 minutes if agreed upon by both teams. XIII.HUDDLE a. After the referee marks the ball ready for play, the offense will have 30 seconds to put the ball into play or else be penalized 5 yards for delay of game. b. It is not necessary for a team to huddle before play begins. c. Audible or predetermined plays may be used without huddling. d. During an audible or no huddle offense situation, if substitutions are made by the offense, the defense must also be allowed to substitute. XIV. MOTION a. Only one player at a time is allowed in motion. The movements of the in motion player must be parallel OR away from the line of scrimmage. At the center snap, the in motion player must be still in a continuous motion running parallel to OR away from the line of scrimmage.. b. Encroachment (offsides) shall be called when either the defense or offense is guilty of passing over the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. c. A false movement of the football by the center shall constitute offensive encroachment. d. Encroachment is a dead ball foul. The play shall be immediately whistled dead before play begins and 5 yards shall be marked off against the encroaching team, repeat down. Note - The opposing team may choose to decline the penalty. XV. FIRST DOWNS a. Four downs shall be allowed in which to advance the football into the next zone. The zone shall be considered exacted when any part of the ball carrier's hips touches or is advanced farther than the line marking the next zone (line-to-gain), including the endzone. b. The line-to-gain refers to the next zone line the offense must advance the football to or past in order to gain a 1st down. If after four consecutive downs a team has failed to advance the ball into the next zone, possession shall go to the defense at that spot. (The ball may be punted on 4th down of offense chooses) XVI. XVII. 5 SCREENING/BLOCKING/DOWNFIELD PICKS a. Screening, blocking and all picks on offense are illegal plays. Any contact drawn from any of these movements will result in 15 yard loss of down penalty. QB RUSHER a. Any number of players may be on the offensive or defensive line of scrimmage at the moment the ball is snapped. b. Players rushing may not be directly over the center at that start of play. c. All other players must be at least 1 yard off the line of scrimmage. d. Rusher must rush with hands clasped behind back until time they pass and are free of the blocker, are able to pull the ball carrier's flag, or block a forward pass. e. If the offensive team makes no effort to block the rusher, the rusher is not required to rush with his/her hands behind their back. f. The rusher may not run over the screener. g. The rusher may not pull the screener toward him or push the screener away from him. h. A penalty will be called if the rusher touches the screener s head as long as the screener is screening upright. i. If the rusher touches the QB s head in his attempt to block a pass, a penalty will be called. j. Roughing the passer will be called when the rusher, while attempting to deflag the QB or block a pass, lets his momentum carry him into the passer. This includes any contact with the QB while in their throwing motion. k. The defensive team may rush as many players as it chooses.

6 l. Any defensive rushing penalty will be a 10 yard automatic 1 st down. XVIII. LATERALS a. A lateral is any pass thrown overhand or underhand parallel or behind the ball carrier. b. There is NO limit to the number of laterals allowed during the play of a down. c. Shovel or push passes must be made from behind the line of scrimmage only. The receiver of a shovel or push pass may be on either side of the line of scrimmage when receiving the ball. XIX. RUNNING a. Teams may handoff, pitch, or backward toss the football. b. Multiple handoffs are allowed behind the line of scrimmage. c. A forward pitch is considered a forward pass. d. A successful pitch is when the receiver (of the pitch) receives the ball behind the point at where the ball was pitched; if the ball is received past the point it was pitched, it is considered a forward pass. e. A player receiving a forward pass cannot pitch or hand it off forward. f. The no run zone is located 5 yards before the end zone. g. The offense may not run on conversions unless rushed by the defense. h. The ball carrier must make reasonable attempt to avoid contact with defenders any attempt to charge or run through a defender will be issued a charging foul. i. Charging fouls are a loss of 10 yards from the spot of the foul. XX. PASS RECEPTION a. All players on both teams are eligible pass receivers. b. If a receiver comes down with one foot in bounds and one foot out of bounds simultaneously, the pass is incomplete. c. Receivers become ineligible receivers when they step out of bounds then come back in without having been forced out by a defender. Receivers are still eligible if forced out of bounds by a defender. d. Receivers become ineligible receivers when they step out of bounds then come back in bounds after having been forced out of bounds by a member of their own team. e. A defender who runs out of bounds and then returns in bounds without having been forced out of bounds by a member of the opposing team, is ineligible to intercept a pass or lateral thrown by the offense. f. Ineligible receiver is a 5 yard penalty with replay of down. XXI. PASS INTERFERENCE a. This rule applies to any forward pass made from behind the line of scrimmage, and applies to both offensive and defensive players. Pass interference will be called when, after a pass is in the air, either the receiver or defender touches the opponent before one of them touches the ball. b. Stripping of the ball once a reception has been made will NOT be allowed. c. Stripping the ball will result in a 10 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. d. Any contact that occurs after the pass is touched (excluding receiver stripping) and either complete or incomplete, must be judged by the referee as: i. Non-contact caused by both players playing the ball ii. Intentional or avoidable contact. e. Penalty shall be 1st down at point of infraction or 10 yards from line of scrimmage (whichever is greater). f. Defensive pass interference plays which occur on the playing field during the regulation play period and tie breaker period and are accepted shall be marked as an automatic 1st down at the point of infraction or 10 yards from line of scrimmage, whichever is greater. g. Defensive pass interference, which occurs on the playing field during PAT and accepted, will result in the ball being placed on one yard line with the PAT run again. 6

7 XXII. XXIII. XXIV. h. Defensive pass interference which occurs in the end zone during regulation play period and accepted: i. The ball will be placed on one yard line. ii. Automatic 1st down. iii. If on the last play of the game, the offensive team will be given the 1st down PLUS an extra down to try and score. If the offense does not need the free down to score, it is voided. i. Offensive pass interference is a 15 yard penalty with a loss of down. FLAGRANT PENALTIES a. The penalty for flagrant or excessive contact on the defense shall be 1st down at point of infraction or 15 yards from the line of scrimmage, whichever is greater. b. The penalty for flagrant or excessive contact on the offense shall be loss of 15 yards from previous spot and loss of down. i. At the discretion of the Referee the penalized player may be removed from the game. DE-FLAGGING and DEFENDERS a. The ball carrier will be ruled down when: i. A flag is detached from his/her belt. 1. When a player is touched with one hand or two after his/her flag(s) have fallen off or have been pulled off prematurely by a defender. ii. The ball touches the ground, the ball is not an extension of the hand. iii. Any body part of the ball carrier, other than their feet or hand touches the ground iv. Prematurely removing an opponent s flag with the obvious intent of making the offensive player ineligible to become a ball carrier will result in a 10 yard penalty from end of play or line of scrimmage, whichever is greater. v. If the QB s flag is pulled while in a forward throwing motion, the pass is live. vi. If the QB is legally de-flagged (while passing the football) and later in the play receives the ball back, he shall be considered down where he is touched. vii. If a ball carrier hits a defensive player's hand reaching for a flag, intentionally OR unintentionally preventing them from grabbing the flag they will be called for flag guarding. It is on the runner to make sure their hands are not covering the flags while running, b. Flag guarding is a 10 yard penalty from the spot of the foul and a loss of down. DEFENDERS a. A defensive player may pull the receiver s or ball carrier's flag as soon as the ball is touched from having been thrown or handed-off from the QB. b. If the receiver juggles the ball and subsequently completes the catch, the ball is marked dead at the de-flagging spot. c. When a defensive player pulls the ball carrier s flag, he must stop and hold the flag above his head. This shall be considered good sportsmanship if complied with, but no penalty will result if the de-flagger fails to perform this request. d. Grabbing the ball carrier s clothing to the point of impeding his progress (holding) shall be penalized 10 yards. However, a quick grab and release that does not impede the runner is not a penalty. e. A defensive player who reaches across the body of the ball carrier to pull his flag is responsible for any contact that is made and will be penalized accordingly. f. A defensive player MAY leave his feet to pull the offensive player s flag, but may NOT make contact with the runner in doing so. g. A defender may NOT push or knock a ball carrier out of bounds. There will be a 15 yard illegal contact automatic 1st down penalty assessed for this infraction. If the infraction is deemed excessive, the defender is subject to game ejection. 7

8 h. If the infraction occurs as a last ditch effort to prevent a score, a touchdown will be awarded. XXV. TACKLING a. Tackling Is PROHIBITED! Tackling is defined as grasping and/or encircling the body of the ball carrier with a hand or arm, thus impeding the runner s progress. You cannot use your body to stop or impede a runner. b. Penalty for tackling shall be 15 yards and if in the opinion of the referee, prevented a score, appropriate points will be awarded. c. Players will be ejected if the tackle was flagrant enough to cause injury, whether an injury occurred or not. XXVI. BALL CARRIER a. The responsibility for avoiding any and all contact rests with the ball carrier. b. The ball carrier may not deliberately run at, over or drive into a defensive player. c. The stiff arm is illegal. d. The ball carrier may not advance the ball by diving or sliding forward. If the ball carrier dives or slides forward in an attempt to advance the ball, the ball is down where the runner s feet left the ground. e. The ball carrier shall not protect his flags by blocking with his hand, arm or head the opportunity of an opponent to pull or remove his flag. f. A ball carrier may spin to avoid being de-flagged. However, the runner must maintain control while spinning and may NOT jump or spin into a defender as a result of uncontrolled momentum. g. All ball carrier penalties are 10 yards from the spot of the foul and result in a loss of down. *Point of infraction penalty.* XXVII. FUMBLES a. When a backward pass or backward fumble hits the ground, it becomes dead at the spot and belongs to the last team in possession. The line of scrimmage becomes the spot where the ball hit the ground or at the in-bounds line opposite the point where the ball left the field of play. b. When the offense fumbles in their end zone, it results in a safety. c. Forward or offensive fumbles which cross and hit beyond the next line-to-gain will result in the ball being marked dead at the point from which it was fumbled. d. Intentional grounding by the QB in his own end zone to avoid a sack is considered a safety. XXVIII. CENTER SNAP a. A center snap must be made between the center s legs or tossed back. The ball must remain on the ground until the QB says go. If the ball moves or leaves the ground prior to the QB s command this play will result in a 5 yard false start penalty. b. A center snap may touch the ground before it gets to the QB if he fields it cleanly off of 1 bounce. However, if the QB muffs the ball to the ground, it is dead where it first touched the ground. c. No direct snaps will be allowed. The player that calls go must be the first player to touch the ball. d. QB must be at least 3 yards behind the center to receive the snap. e. Center does not have to snap the ball to the punter. XXIX. PUNTING a. If a team decides to punt, the offense must announce it to the referee within 30 seconds of dead ball. After the offense declares a punt, the referee will mark the ball ready for play on the 20 yard line for the opposing team. b. A punt is defined as a simulated punt - automatic placement of ball and 1st down for opposing team at the 20 yard line. XXX. ILLEGAL ADVANCEMENT 8

9 XXXI. XXXII. a. The runner or ball carrier may NOT dive or slide forward to advance the ball. Ball is dead at point where player left their feet. (See ball carrier penalty) b. Advancement may not occur as a result of the ball being slapped, knocked, pitched, lateralled forward, or kicked by the offense or the defense. c. Ball will be declared dead at the point it was slapped, knocked, pitched, forward lateral, or kicked if it was done so in the direction of that team s advancement. PLAYER BEHAVIOR a. Any verbal badgering of referees by any player after the referee has asked once for Team Captain control can result in player or players involved in the action being ejected. b. Any derogatory language between opposing players, after the referee has asked once for Team Captain control, can result in player or players involved in the action being ejected. c. First derogatory action or language should be penalized 15 yards. Second offense will result in ejection of player. Sideline players are subject to the same ejection for abusive, obscene or badgering language to opposing players, spectators, or referees. d. Teams should keep their sideline clear of any items and players 3 yards from the sideline which could cause injury if a player goes out of bounds. e. If the Team Captain of the penalized team can t control the actions of his/her players, the game may be forfeited per decision of Head Ref or Coordinator. f. Profanity, fighting, or rough or injurious plays do not need warnings in order to cause the player to be ejected. g. Team Captains or Designated Team Captains can ask about a call but it must be down without dismissive or degrading. h. Players can express their frustrations on a play without badgering the opposing team, referees and spectators. i. Head Refs have the discretion to determine what is poor sportsmanship. SCORING a. Male Touchdown - 6 points. b. Female Touchdown - 8 points. c. PAT (2 points from 10 yards) (1 point from 5 yards ). i. Any 2-point PAT attempt intercepted by the defense and returned for a score will be worth 2 points. d. Safety 2 points. e. PAT s will begin with the ball on the 5 or 10 yard line per team decision. After PAT, the ball will be placed on the 20 yard line. f. After a safety, the ball will be place on the teams own 20 yard line. g. There is no tie breaker on regular season games. h. Forfeit Game 25-0 score. XXXIII. TIE BREAKER (Playoffs) a. In the event of a tie game, a coin will be tossed with the winner receiving the choice of playing offense or defense first. b. Both teams will go in the direction of the wind, or, if no wind, in the direction chosen by the team that lost the toss. c. Ball will be placed at the 20-yard line going in and each team will have four consecutive plays in which to score. d. If both teams score the same amount of points or no points at all, it will be repeated from the 20, alternating who goes first until there is a winner. e. During the tiebreaker, there will be only one timeout per team. f. An interception terminates the offense s chances to score. XXXIV. COED SPECIFIC RULES 9

10 a. Under general conditions, a standard on-field coed team should consist of five men and three women. b. A team MUST play with a minimum of 2 players of each gender at all times. c. There may NEVER be more than five men on the field at the same time. d. If a team chooses, they may play a maximum of eight females on the field at once. e. To ensure coed participation, the offense team must use a female as an operative player within 3 consecutive downs. Failure to use a female with in 3 plays results in a 5-yard penalty and loss of down, and the next down remains a female play. f. An operative player is defined as a player who: i. Is the intended receiver in the eyes of the referee. ii. If the ball is caught behind the line of scrimmage, she must establish herself as a runner and cross the line of scrimmage, before she can lateral the ball. (The ball may not cross backward over the line of scrimmage on the lateral). iii. Runs the ball as the primary runner (must cross the line of scrimmage). iv. Receives the snap as the QB and throws the ball over the line of scrimmage. g. Nonoperative player includes: i. Snaps the ball into play OR hands off the football. ii. iii. Incomplete passes to a receiver behind the line of scrimmage. Receives a hand off only to give back to a male player before crossing the line of scrimmage, or lateral it back over the line of scrimmage. h. Refs will call out either open or closed play at the beginning of each play. Open play can go to either a male or female. If a female is not used for two consecutive downs then the next down is a forced female play; a female must advance the ball. i. If a team begins a game with eight players or less and a player is injured during the course of the game, the Team Captain may choose to: a. continue playing minus the injured player or b. forfeit the game entirely to the opposing team. c. If the injured player is a female and her loss would cause the team to have less than 2 females on the field, the team must forfeit the game entirely. 10